High School Dilemma : Pokemon Style
by Maverick210
Summary: The most prestigious Academy on the face of the earth responsible for producing some of the greatest trainers now faces its ultimate test...our Pokemon heroes attending. Our heroes must persevere through battles of epic proportions, a dash of romance and a dark plot, all while being on time for class or else the detention room will become their next best friend.
1. Raise the Curtains

**Revised.**

* * *

><p><strong>High School Dilemma-Pokemon Style<strong>

Far out into the oceans south of the the Kanto Region was a small island that was known world wide as the Tsugi Island, the island that was home to the greatest Pokemon Academy on the planet. Throughout each of the regions, the Tsugi Academy was famous for producing top of the line trainers, coordinators and breeders that none of the other Academies could even compare to.

About two thirds of the island was devoted to the actual compound of the school while the rest of the island was a forested area until you reached the beach. But at the gate to the wall of the compound, a short male with brown hair stood with a large brown cloak covering his body. While he appeared to a mysterious person at first glance, when he pulled down his hood, it was revealed that he was wearing a pair of huge square glasses with an enormous plastic nose to cover his actual nose.

A soft gust of wind blew as he chucked his backpack over the gate, the bag landing safely on the other side. All he had to do now was the get over the gate before one of the security guards passed by. Next he grabbed the gate, preparing to climb it, but instead he found himself shaking violently as an electrical shock surged through his body. This action set off many of the alarms along the perimeter of the compound, alerting the guards that someone was trying to get in.

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" The sirens screeched, getting the attention of many of the guards that were in the area, resulting a large group of men meeting up at the southern gate.

On the roof of the central building on the complex was a small group of students that were attending the Tsugi Academy, their gave focused on the scene that was taking place at the gate.

"Are you sure he's the one?"

"He's wearing what we sent. I'm sure that's him."

"Well if it is, I'm a bit disappointed with how he got into here."

"Please, all that matters is he got in without having to battle anyone."

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><p>"This is him?" A brown haired teen asked out loud, looking down at the drooling fifteen year old who looked like a complete fool with the his fake glasses and plastic nose.<p>

"Gary, no need to be so cold. He just got here." Another voice said.

"Jimmy, you said he would be reliable. I was expecting someone a little more…professional." Gary continued.

"Well I'm sorry if my friend doesn't look like a professional, but I'm sure he can get the job done before things get any worse." The purple haired boy with a backwards cap on replied.

"I know Jimmy, but couldn't it be someone a little less…idiotic. Brock is bad enough." Gary went on.

"Hey, I heard that!" A tall tan skinned male shouted at Gary, obviously offended by Gary's comment.

"That was the goal." Gary shot back with a smirk.

"Well aren't you snappy today Gary." A new voice chimed in, snapping his fingers to go along with the horrible pun.

"Ash...shut up." A gruff voice cut in, wondering how his friend could have so much confidence when giving a bad joke.

"Yeah, be quiet Ashy-boy." Gary added.

"Gary, I think you've said enough as well." The gruff voice continued.

"Paul's got you there Gary." Brock said with a chuckled before a new person entered the room.

"Oh visitors, I need a moment to check and see if his vitals are okay?" A feminine voice began only to be cut off by Brock.

"Nurse Joy! You can check my vitals any time!" Brock shouted, hearts appearing in his eyes as he raced toward the woman. Before Brock could even get within five feet of her, Brock received a blow to his stomach followed closely by his entire body going numb.

"Cro…" A small blue creature said as Brock collapsed the ground, unable to move on his own now. Nurse Joy could only let out a chuckle, finding that Brock's usual antics hadn't faded away during summer vacation.

"See, we don't need any more idiots. Brock _and _Ash fill up that quota nicely." Gary commented, pointing at Croagunk who was currently dragging Brock toward one of the corners of the room by one of his legs.

"Hey, I'm not a total idiot." Ash said indignantly.

"Yeah, me neither!" Brock added from the corner he was currently resting in.

"They've got a point Gary. They're not total idiots, they just have more idiotic moments than the average person." Jimmy explained in a matter-of-fact tone with a chuckle as Brock and Ash gave him a mild glare.

"Anyway, you really believe he can do it Jimmy?" Ash asked, deciding that it wan an appropriate time to change the subject.

"Yup. He got himself expelled from the Kanto Academy and you have to be really bad to get kicked out of that Academy." Jimmy began, getting a rather flabbergasted expression from all the guys except for Paul who only raised his eyebrows.

Out of the five globally known Academies, Kanto was considered to be the bottom out of the five greats. As a result, all of the problem children from each of the other four Academies was sent to Kanto where the tolerance of bad students was incredibly high in order to make sure these children could actually make something of themselves.

"Expelled. What did he do?" Paul asked, showing interest in this new person that had appeared.

"After getting transferred to Kanto from Hoenn, he battled the best senior in school in an official match and won. Two days after that a group of seniors trashed his room." Jimmy explained. "Although compared to the messed up system in our school, their pecking order was correct until he screwed it over so they picked on him because that."

"So why was he expelled?" Gary asked.

"After about a week of having multiple seniors picking on him, he beat the crap out of a group of them. Fourteen to be exact. At the same time the principal had been looking for him to tell him that had been recommended to the Tsugi Academy, but when the principal found all of the students he had beaten, he was expelled immediately. When the principal told him that, he decked him and was thrown out of the school immediately." Jimmy continued.

"Damn." Gary exclaimed, raising his eyebrows. "I gotta give him props for that."

"We grew up together in Johto. But at the end of middle school I was recommended for the Tsugi Academy while he went to the Johto Academy. During his freshman year there he got expelled and was sent to the Hoenn Academy. Unfortunately that was at the end of the year so he missed his finals and was held back one year." Jimmy explained, remembering their times together at the Goldenrod port. "So he's a freshman this year again instead of being a sophomore like me."

"So this must be that 'Undaunted Trainer' guy those kids in Sinnoh were talking about last year, right?" Ash asked, recalling his trip to Sinnoh during his sophomore year. While he was at the Sinnoh Academy, many of the students were talking about a guy who managed to get himself expelled from three out of the five great Academies, causing a great ruckus as he moved from one school to the next.

"That would be him." Jimmy said, giving Ash as a nod of confirmation.

"I can't wait to battle him now." Ash exclaimed at the prospect of a powerful opponent.

"Well at least he doesn't sound like an idiot. Maybe he will be useful." Gary said with a nod a approval he took a look at the sleeping boy.

"Come guys, he isn't up yet so let's drop back in later." Ash said, his stomach adding in its own opinion. "Plus it's almost lunch time."

Everyone sweated dropped at one of Ash's trademarks before deciding that it was best that they go get lunch while they still had time. Once the group of teenage boys exited the room, Nurse Joy quickly finished her examination of the boy, finding everything perfectly fine with him.

"Alright mister…" She looked down at the clipboard that was on the side of the bed. "Blake. You should be perfectly fine by the end of day. Hopefully your not as bad as all of the guys think you are. Welcome to the Tsugi Academy."

Before she left, Nurse Joy removed the glasses and nose from Blake's face, leaving the boy who appeared to be sound asleep. After a minute passed, Blake rose up from the bed with a large grin plastered on his face.

"Wow, I might just stay here for a while with how interesting things are here. Nice characters and a ton of stuff to meddle with." He said with a chuckle, opening his backpack that was hanging from the side of his bed to take out a notebook. "Heh heh, let's begin with act one of my masterpiece."

**October 4th**

**Tsuji Island**

**Tsuji Academy**

The island itself had been discovered for quite some time, but it hadn't received a name until the fifth great Academy was built on the island. Being dubbed as the 'Next' island, the Pokemon circuit looked to the Tsugi Island as a home where the next generation of Pokemon researchers, trainers, coordinators and breeders would be coming from.

In truth, the island was also a testing ground to see how isolation would affect the growth of the students. Upon entrance to the Academy, most of the students lost contact with family and friends beyond the island unless an emergency had come up. In the Tsugi Academy, students would almost one hundred percent of their time to Pokemon. The isolation was great for the students, resulting in unbelievably fast growth...but it also caused great unrest among the students because they all now lacked a release for their stress valves.

The compound of the Academy blocked students from going out into the rest of the island for a majority of the time with the eleven foot wall with a few gates for entrance and exit. Inside the compound was enormous, spanning a large distance to hold everything that would be need in order to produce Pokemon experts. The Academy was probably the largest building on the campus, followed closely by the dorms. There were four dorm buildings in total, one each grade level, all of them being spread out across the campus with now real factor to determine why they were placed there.

Aside from the dorms and the Academy itself, their were numerous other buildings that were present on campus specifically for each type of Pokemon expert such as a Battle Arena and Pokemon Gym for trainers to sharpen their skills and condition their Pokemon. A Contest Hall for coordinators to make sure their skills never went rusty and many, many berry gardens that were constantly in use by the breeders.

**Cafeteria**

A tan skinned brunette carefully placed his lunch tray on the table which held a small can of brand name soda, and a decent sized hamburger.

"First as usual." Brock muttered to himself, taking a seat while glancing around the cafeteria that was slowly beginning to fill up with students from every grade since lunch hour had begun.

Brock was a tall senior of the Tsugi Academy, although most of his friends were actually students from lower grade levels. Personally he thought the seniors were all pretty divided in the first place because the traditional Ranking system in the school had been thrown out of whack since not a single senior as present on the Top 10 listing. Although that didn't really matter to him.

"Brocky, what's up?" A female voice called out to him that Brock quickly recognized as his blue haired friend that went by the name of Dawn.

"The usual Dawn." Brock replied, turning around to see a slim, sixteen year old sophomore with shoulder length, royal blue hair that she would normally where up in a pony tail but she decided to let down from the next few days. Resting on her shoulder was a small blue Pokemon that resembled a penguin which had been identified as a Piplup.

Depending on the size of a Pokemon , they were allowed the be outside of their Poke-ball inside of the Academy, but good behavior was expected of these Pokemon that had this privilege.

"How are things with Holly?" She asked, sitting down next to him.

"She still won't give me the time of day." He responded down heartedly, dropping his head down onto the table. The bluenette gave a small chuckle as she managed to pull Brock's tray out of the way to avoid having Brock cover his forehead in hamburger meat.

Dawn smiled and gave him a pat on the back since she knew this subject never went anywhere.

"What about you and Ash?" Brock asked, getting rid of the depressed attitude he had.

"What kind of progress can I make when he's with Misty?" Dawn asked in return, raising one eyebrow.

"Dawn, you can see it too. Their relationship is going nowhere. Ash told me that the last time they had a decent discussion that didn't end with an argument was three months ago. But I have caught him staring at you...although I can't tell if he was lost in thought or being a teenage guy-" Brock was cut off when she slapped her hand onto his mouth, covering it while waving to the approaching black haired junior.

"Hey Ash, what's up?" Dawn asked nervously as the boy sat down on the opposite side of Brock with a shrug. Ash was lacking both his trademarks today, the first being his official Pokemon League hat and the second was his partner Pokemon Pikachu who could always be found on his shoulder.

"Ah…just another fight with Misty." Ash replied, not paying any mind to how he was actually talking to.

"What was it about this time?" Brock asked, removing Dawn's hand from over his mouth.

"She accused me of spending time with other girls when she's not around, but she's never around and I was lonely, what's wrong with talking to Dawn or May?" Ash asked, looking up at Brock and Dawn.

"Well I don't see anything wrong with that. It was just some friendly conversation, right?" Brock asked, raising one eyebrow at Ash who looked at him as if he had grown a second head.

"Of course! I'd never cheat on Misty!" Ash shouted at Brock. Doing thing like that was out of the question to Ash Ketchum. He was loyal to a fault. "But it does hurt when I can't talk to her at all."

"Why don't you break up with her?" Brock said, giving the answer that only required a little common sense. Ash just shrugged at looked up at the ceiling.

"But I don't want to Brock. I always had a crush on Misty and now that I have her, I don't want to give up on her so easily." Ash said truthfully, with a look that Dawn found touching.

'Gosh, Ash is so faithful but Misty doesn't even notice how desperately he's hanging onto their relationship.' She said inwardly, finishing the slice of pizza she had taken for lunch.

"But that makes me wonder what she's doing all the time. She never answers my texts or phone calls, and it kind of feels like she's avoiding me sometimes. The only thing she answered so far was an e-mail I sent her like, two months ago." Ash said, lowering his head. "Dawn. What would you being doing if you weren't answering the texts or calls from your boyfriend?"

Dawn blushed now that Ash was focusing on her.

"If it was me, I'd probably have a lot on my mind that I'm trying to sort out. But that's just me. Going from what I've heard in public, Misty could be seeing other people." Dawn explained, getting a clueless look from Ash that she found cute.

"What? Of course she's seeing other people. I'm doing the same thing." Ash said, shocking Dawn and Brock.

"Wh-What?" Dawn exclaimed, struggling to comprehend what Ash had just said.

"To think, I can't even get one girl, but Ash can get two." Brock said, sliding under the table where he fell into a deep depression.

"Ash, how could you?" Dawn asked

"How could I do what?" Ash asked in return, wrinkling his forehead in confusion.

"See someone else while you're with Misty." Dawn replied.

"I'm always seeing other people Dawn. I'm seeing you and Brock right now aren't I?" Ash said, pointing toward his eyes which caused both Dawn and Brock to face fault.

"We didn't mean literally!" Dawn and Brock shouted together, leaving Ash confused. Dawn signed at her crush's denseness and rose from seat, saying that she would be right back.

As Dawn began to walk toward the garbage bin, Ash's eye, instead of focusing on the huge hamburger that was in front of him, followed Dawn's body, particularly her rear end.

"Ash?" Brock said, getting no reply from his friend. "Ash!"

"What?" He said, snapping back to reality since Dawn had thrown out her stuff and turned around to face them again.

"Quit staring." Brock said simply, getting an indignant look from Ash.

"I was not." He protested, getting a snort from Brock.

"Please Ash, I know you have a thing for Dawn too." Brock said to Ash, causing his cheeks to redden.

"No I don't Brock. I'm with Misty one hundred percent." Ash said, crossing his arms, looking away from Brock.

"Ash…" Brock said, waiting for the real answer.

"Alright, ninety nine percent." Ash said, glancing at Brock who just stared at him, waiting for the real answer. "Fine, it's more like 75 – 25!"

"And who has the 75?" Brock asked.

"What are you guys talking about?" Dawn asked as she approached them taking her seat again.

"Nothing!" Ash shouted with red cheeks, turning back to his food which he proceeded to shove into his mouth at a fast pace, trying to clear his head.

"Brock?" Dawn looked at Brock next, waiting for an answer. Brock gave her shrug and shook his head.

"This is one of the unknown sides of Ash Ketchum." He said, gazing at Ash who had already devoured his hamburger, staring at Brock's which had been untouched so far.

"Umm, Brock?" Ash began, getting a sigh from Brock.

"Go ahead."

"Yes!"

Brock's hamburger was gone in an instant which caused both Dawn and Brock to sweatdrop at Ash's usual behavior.

"But I guess the unknown side will remain unknown as long as food is involved."

**West Wing**

This normally busy hallway was now empty because 6th period had started, but a group of four juniors had decided that today would be the day to increase the tensions between the grade levels by ganging up on a lone sophomore. Marina had been taking a causal trip to the bathroom, but on her return trip to the class room she found herself surrounding a by a group of four male juniors.

Marina lay on her side against the wall. She had failed to escape the group numerous times, and had decided that maybe they would leave her if she had played dead. Fortunately for her, the group hadn't notice her sent a distress text to her boyfriend while she was huddled up.

"Where's your boyfriend now?" One of them asked, landing a hard kick to her stomach which got a pained shout from Marina. Unfortunately, her calls for help would go unheard because this wing of the school was empty during the afternoon classes.

Right a cue, foot steps could be heard. And they were approaching fast. All of the juniors looked to their left to see a purple haired boy racing toward them.

"Right here you bastard!" Jimmy shouted as he landed a clean punch to the jaw of the junior who had just kicked Marina which sent him tumbling across the floor. Jimmy cursed as he shook his right hand, trying to shake off the pain he felt on his knuckles. "Marina, are you alright?"

Kneeling down beside his girlfriend, Jimmy examined her busted lower lip and bruised right cheek. By the way she was holding her body, he could tell that had hit her torso a few times, and she would have to spend some time with Nurse Joy to make sure everything was okay.

"Hey, are you alright?" One of the three remaining juniors asked their friend who had been hit, receiving no response from him.

"Now you've done it. You gone and gotten me angry!" Jimmy growled at he group of three as he straightened up, cracking the knuckles of his left hand since he was positive that he was going to fight someone now. "Now you're going to pay!"

"Hah, what's one little sophomore going to do against three of us?" One of the juniors asked.

"This." Jimmy's approach had gone unnoticed by the juniors, allowing him to take down another one with one blow to the nose.

The third junior was quick to move around Jimmy while the fourth kept him busy for a moment before he hooked Jimmy's arms from behind to prevent him from attacking.

"Let go." Jimmy said threateningly, glancing back the junior who held him while his friend took this opportunity to sock Jimmy in the gut. Jimmy grit his teeth, bearing through the pain since he knew what was going to come next. The junior in front of him then raised his fist to punch Jimmy in the face, but as he threw the punch, Jimmy pulled himself forward to duck below the punch while bring the junior behind him into he path of the attack.

"Gah!" The junior behind him wailed as he released Jimmy, giving him the chance to spin around on his toes to land a full uppercut to the chin of the junior which finished him. Turning around, Jimmy was prepared to finish off the last junior before he heard the pop of a Poke-ball opening.

"Enough of this." The junior said, releasing his Vileplume. "Vileplume, let's knock him out with Stun Spore!"

"This is by far the dumbest thing you could have done." Jimmy commented venomously as he released his Pokemon. Standing in front of Jimmy fire type Pokemon that was only slightly taller than him. "Typhlosion, use Flame Wheel."

Even though Vileplume released his Stun Spore first, Typhlosion tore right through the yellow cloud with ease before crashing into Vileplume. The grass type Pokemon was instantly ko'd which sent it flying into its trainer's torso, knocking out both of them.

Jimmy and Typhlosion stared at the group, specifically the fool who had called out his Vileplume against Jimmy. The battle was ended in an instant, further proof of why Jimmy was recognized among the Top 10 students of the Tsugi Academy. But taking a look at the group as a whole, Jimmy was tempted to beat them further just to cause them the equivalent amount of pain they had caused to his precious Marina.

"Jimmy." Marina whispered, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Don't. They're not worth it."

"Right. Don't worry, I'll take you to see Nurse Joy right now." He said, running over to his girlfriend who was now sitting upright while leaning against the wall.

"Oww!" She said as Jimmy pick her up bridal style.

"Does that hurt too much?" Jimmy asked, adjusting how he was holding her so that she could wrap her arms around his neck and keep any weight from being placed on her torso.

"Thanks Jimmy." Marina whispered into his ears.

"I'd do anything for you Marina." Jimmy replied, slowly heading toward the Nurse's Office.

**October 5th - Lunch**

**Cafeteria**

"They did what?" Ash shouted, slapping his hands down onto the lunch table.

"You heard him Ashy-boy. A group of juniors attacked Marina again." Gary said to Ash, repeating the cause of Jimmy's frustration to the boy.

"Jimmy. You have to do something about the juniors that constantly attack Marina. Dealing with them as often as you do is going to get to go pretty soon." Paul said to him, never actually looking at Jimmy as he quietly ate the spaghetti that was on his plate.

"I know. I took some good ones the last few times, and I can feel the damage starting to build up." Jimmy began. "But what am I gonna do, raid the junior dorm rooms?"

"I like that idea Jimmy." Blake said, popping out from under the table the group was seated up. Everyone stared at Blake oddly, because of his sudden appearance, and his true appearance.

Instead of the hardened delinquent they were expecting, they found a fifteen year old boy giving them a cheerful smile. He was rather simple looking with tan skin, black hair and a bright eyes.

"Oh Blake, you're finally up." Jimmy said, giving his old friend a wave as a greeting.

"Yup, I needed that nap." He said, taking the seat next to Jimmy.

"So how'd your morning classes go?"

"Ah, I didn't feel like going so I skipped." Blake replied, getting raised eyebrows from Paul, Gary and Ash.

"Your first day and you skip half your classes. This guy has some guts." Gary exclaimed with an impressed look. Even Gary attended all his classes on the first day, but after that his attendance was poor.

"Let me see your schedule." Jimmy said, extending his hand to Blake.

"Here you go." Blake said, handing the Jimmy is schedule after searching his backpack for a short period of time.

Period 1 - Advanced Pokemon Biology-Mr. Blaine

Period 2 - Practice Battles - Mr. Wake and Ms. Maylene

Period 3 - Gym - Ms. Maylene

Period 4 - Lunch

Period 5 - Study Hall

Period 6 - Advanced Pokemon Biology-Ms. Jasmine & Professor Elm

Period 7 - Remedial Language Arts - Ms. Agatha

"Wait, how you get into junior level classes Blake?" Jimmy asked seeing that Blake was part of AP Biology even though he was only a freshman.

"Sometime last year I took a pre-test for Pokemon biology and aced it. The principal dude told me that he thinks I can do well in this class." Blake explained as he scribbled away on a large notebook he had pulled out of the backpack he had placed behind him. "Although he told me I have no shot of getting into a good college if I don't fix up my language arts grades."

"What are you writing?" Ash asked, trying to take a peek at the cluster of words all over the lined paper.

"The plans for how everything is going to happen. This one is going to be amazing." Blake said giddily before slamming the book shut. "Starting now."

Blake's face morphed from the cheerful, energetic person he was to the cold hearted delinquent that the group had been waiting to see.

"Oh boy." Jimmy said, getting a few confused glances from Ash, Gary and Paul.

"Jimmy, tell me who's the most dangerous person around here." Blake said as he scanned the cafeteria.

"That table on the far end." Jimmy said, pointing out the table that was in the corner of the cafeteria. "The schools Rank 1 trainer is sitting there."

"You guys better be ready to miss a class or two today." Blake said as he casually began to stroll across the cafeteria, heading to the table Jimmy had pointed out.

"What's he talking about?" Ash asked, turning to Jimmy.

"Whenever he gets like that, trouble is sure to follow." Jimmy mumbled out loud.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" The junior Blake had just punched shouted, rising from the floor. The entire cafeteria had gone silent, everyone focusing on the Blake and the person he had just hit without an particular reason.

"You and me, a battle. Right now." Blake demanded, taking out the Poke-ball he kept in his pocket.

"Blake!" Jimmy hollered, trying to get Blake's attention before he started something unnecessary.

"What?" Blake hissed, trying to remain serious.

"Wrong one." Jimmy said rather casually, causing everyone in the cafeteria to deadpan. "That's Rank 1, Gina Grays."

Jimmy pointed to the short girl that was seated at the end of the table with long brown hair and a pointy nose. She wore a pair of denim jeans an black shirt with a Jynx on the front of it.

"Oh..." Blake trailed off for a moment, a bit disappointed that his mistake had caused the atmosphere he had created to vanish in an instant. "Gina, I challenge you!"

Gina looked toward him for a moment, studying his appearance.

"What grade are you in?" She asked.

"Freshman!" Blake declared confidently.

"No way. I'd never battle a loser like you." She replied, causing Blake to stagger at his instant rejection.

At first Blake seemed hurt by this, that was quickly replaced by sinister smile.

"Well miss Grays, I have a bit of information concerning you that I'd like to put out to the public, unless you'd like to hear it first?" Blake asked with a soft cackle.

"Sure. What could a freshman possibly know about me?" Gina said as Blake approached her. Once he was close enough, he leaned over to whisper it into her ear.

"So which boyfriend should I go to first about all the others you've been seeing? Brent or Daniel?" Blake whispered to her, placing a horrified expression on her face. How could a freshman know about that?

"I'm going to crush you freshmen!" Gina shouted, slapping her hand down on the table.

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><p><strong>Alright. First Chapter.<strong>

**Please ****_review_**** and tell me what you think of it. This is my first attempt at something involving serious romance, so give me any pointers if you have some. Everyone has room to improve their writing, and I hoping to continue improving mine as well.**

**Beware, this ****_will not_**** be your normal Pokemon highschool fic.**

**Disclaimer : Obviously I don't own Pokemon, I can't do anything about that.**

**A/N Update - I'll slowly be revising each chapter as we approach the end of this fic because to be honest, I feel like my writing has a improved a lot compared to how it originally was when I first started this story almost a year ago. So I hope you all enjoy the quality increase.**


	2. The Undaunted Juniors

**A few character introductions for people who have shown up already and people who are going to show up.**

**There's a general age group for each of the grades wit the exception of Blake who was held back one year.**

**Freshman 14-15 : Blake (16)**

**Sophomores 15-16 : Jimmy, Marina, Dawn**

**Juniors 16-17 : Ash, Gary, Paul, Misty, Drew, May**

**Seniors 17-18 : Brock, Holly, Conway**

**You may begin reading.**

**Revised.**

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><p><strong>Part 2<strong>

**Battle Arena**

Inside one of the most frequently used buildings, a large crowd of students had gathered around the most important battle field in the Battle Arena. All of the battle fields in the Battle Arena were identical, possessing the ability to change to different types of fields to force the students to battle under different, randomly selected conditions.

The only difference between the stage that was in use and the others was the fact that it was placed on a raised platform at the very center of the building where the cameras could record a battle at any given angle and broadcast it over the entire campus. It was the the tournament stage, that was normally used for the final battle of any kind of tournament that took place throughout the year.

Blake and Gina stood on their respective boxes, the students surrounding the border of the battlefield. While many of them had come to see a battle, they didn't expect to see a high quality battle. What they came to see was how fast the strongest trainer in the school would knock out this freshman.

"Are you ready to get crushed Freshman?" Gina asked tauntingly, trying to provoke Blake who only chuckled.

"We'll see about that. Gallade, let's go!" Blake shouted, tossing a Poke-ball into the air to release his choice Pokemon a for one on one battle.

'A Gallade.' Gina said, observing the Pokemon that appeared on the field in a flash of white light. "Shiftry, come on out!"

'I had a feeling that I would have the type advantage.' Blake said to himself, thinking about how effective Gallade's attacks would be against the dual type Pokemon they would be facing.

"Shiftry, use Dark Pulse." Gina called out, deciding that she would initiate the battle.

"Shift-ry!" The grass/dark type Pokemon shouted, raising both its arms above its head where a small dark orb formed. Shiftry then hurled the attack at Gallade with great speed, aiming to strike the psychic type down early.

"Gallade, cut through the attack with Leaf Blade, then attack!" Blake commanded, pointing toward the approaching attack. The elbows of the Blade Pokemon extended outward about a foot, gaining a dark green glow. Gallade took off in a sprint toward Shiftry, raising its arms to clear the first obstacle that was in its path.

'This guys is a total idiot. That Dark Pulse is super effective against Gallade and trying to counter that attack will only hurt Gallade.' Gina said to herself with a smug look before her eyes widened with Gallade cut through the Dark Pulse with easy, causing the attack to fall apart while Gallade took no damage from the attack.

From that point on, Gallade quickened its pace, charging toward Shiftry who's expression was just as surprised as Gina. Only trainers in the Top 10 at the Tsugi Academy had successfully countered Shiftry's attacks, so both the trainer and Pokemon were caught off guard by this unexpected fact.

"Shiftry, engage with X-Scissor!" Gina ordered quickly, seeing Gallade was closing in for an attack. The three leaves that made up Shiftry's hands became hard and glossy before it took off in a dash toward Gallade. One the two Pokemon entered the others attacking range, the entered a high speed duel that consisted of parrying away the others attack while striking back with their own.

Shiftry ducked below a wide swing from Gallade before launching an attack at Shiftry's stomach, forcing it to jump away in order to dodge the attack. Shiftry pursued, using a chopping attack on Gallade who blocked it with its forearm, leaving an opening for Gallade to attack. The psychic type threw out a jab for Shiftry's stomach, but Shiftry was quick to block it with its remaining hand to hold it in place.e.

"Shiftry, use Leaf Storm!" Gina shouted, taking note of the huge opening in Gallade defense as the two Pokemon tried to overpower the other.

Shiftry smirked before it raised it leg to land a swift front kick to Gallade's torso which forced it to take it a step backward, giving Shiftry some time to clap its hands together. A green circle formed around Shiftry's hands before a horizontal cyclone of leaves was fired at Gallade.

Blake only watched as his partner disappeared inside of the cyclone which turned upward, raising Gallade high in the air. Then it made a U and turned down toward the field.

"What happened Freshman?" Gina asked tauntingly as the cyclone hit the ground. Leaf Storm was known as Gina's finisher when it came to battling trainers that she deemed weak, and most of the crowd had concluded that Gallade had already been beaten. Unfortunately for Gina, Blake's sinister smile formed on his face as the Leaf Storm dispersed, revealing that the psychic type was fine, standing upright without any struggle.

In fact, both of its extended elbows s Gallade hit the ground, the Leaf Storm blocking it from sight. Blake's sinister smile appeared on his face as the Leaf Storm dispersed, revealing Gallade who's extended elbows had gained a pink glow.

'No way, his Gallade shielded itself with a psychic attack right from the start of that Leaf Storm.' Gina muttered to herself.

"Gallade didn't take any damage from that attack, but I'm sure Shiftry could beg to differ." Blake said out loud, pointing to Shiftry who was now breathing heavily. Everyone's eyes shifted to the grass/dark type Pokemon was suffering from using the repercussions of using Leaf Storm.

'Damn. Leaf Storm is a two sided weapon and only Shifty paid the price. We'll have to the upper hand a different way now.' Gina said to herself. "Shiftry, use Sunny Day!"

The entire crowd was now focused intently on the battle. If Gina was using Sunny Day, that meant she viewed her opponent as someone worthy battling. Shiftry drew in a deep breath before it clapped its hands together once again. After separating its hands, a white ball of light formed in that space which was then tossed up into the air, creating, casting some intense rays of light over the battlefield.

"Now use X-Scissors!" Gina ordered with a smirk as Shiftry gained an orange outline.

"Gallade, counter with Leaf Blade again." Blake called out, but by the time Gallade had comprehended his order, Shiftry was already in front of it. Gallade's eyes became wide as Shiftry smirked before landing a horizontal swipe across Gallade's stomach getting a pained shout from the psychic type Pokemon. Shiftry then followed up with a swift kick to Gallade's side which sent it stumbling backward.

Unfortunately, as Gallade tried to regain its footing, it met with a bug induced chop from behind to its right shoulder from Shiftry which sent Gallade stumbling forward now with a grunt of pain.

"Look out Gallade!" Blake hollered, spotting Shiftry who was moved around Gallade in the blink of an eye. Gallade walked right into an airborne roundhouse kick that sent it sailing through the air.

"Finish it Shiftry!" Gina shouted, motioning for Shiftry to end this. Shiftry appeared above Gallade in mid air where it landed a hard drop kick to Gallade's stomach which sent it to the ground with a hard thud. "Excellent Shiftry!"

"That was pretty clever Gina. I take it Shiftry's special ability is Chlorophyll right?" Blake asked, receiving a nod from the girl.

"Yup. Until Sunny Day ends, Shiftry will be moving twice as fast as it normally can." She replied with a small smirk.

"Hmm...alright then, let's see how this works." Blake said softly to himself. "Gallade, start with Swords Dance!"

Gallade rose up its feet, both its arms beginning to glow in a soft white light for a few moments before it faded away. Both of Gallade's arms were now glossy and reflective signifying a boost in attack power.

"Now, attack with Poison Jab!" Blake commanded.

"Shiftry, take it down with X-Scissors."

Shiftry burst forward, closing the distance between itself and Gallade in an instant.

"Gallade, use Double Team." Blake said, just loud enough for Gallade to hear. Shiftry lashed out at Gallade with its right arm in a wide arc, aiming to tear Gallade down with this one attack, but Shiftry's arm harmlessly passed through Gallade's body.

"What?" Gina exclaimed when Shiftry disappeared after Shiftry's attack while another Gallade appeared behind it in mid air, taking this chance to land a hard chop to Shiftry's shoulder. "Shiftry!"

Shiftry howled in pain before it whirled around to attack Gallade who was behind it, but its attack passed through yet another copy which created an opening for Gallade to attack. Approaching Shiftry from its side, Gallade landed a hard jab to its face which sent it tumbling across the ground.

'It's using Double Team to counter Shiftry's speed by using its copies as distractions while the real one waits for an opening.' Gina said to herself, observing the situation. 'Sunny Day is about to end so we don't have much time to turn this around.'

Shiftry and Gallade's battle had entered a stalemate now that Shiftry realized how Gallade's attacks was working, which resulted in it skillfully taking down Gallade's copies while reducing the number of openings it had to make sure the real one couldn't attack.

'Come on Shiftry.'

"Alright Gallade, that will be enough." Blake said softly, his voice only behind heard by Gallade.

Shiftry performed a sweep kick, planning to take out the copy it had just engaged, but to its surprise, this one didn't disappear. It was the original. Gallade fell to the ground, landing on its back with a grunt.

"Shiftry, use Grass Knot to hold Gallade down!"

Before Gallade could rise from the ground, several long strands of grass sprouted on the field, wrapping around its arms, legs and neck to make sure Gallade couldn't get away.

"Now finish this with Giga Impact!" Gina screamed, getting many surprised expressions from the crowd. Gina never used Giga Impact unless she was aiming for a finish in a serious battle.

Shiftry jumped high into the air above Gallade, a purple funnel forming around its body. The grass/dark type Pokemon descended to the field, its speed increasing until it hit Gallade. Dust and debris went everywhere as Shiftry's attack pressed Gallade further and further into the field creating a cloud that blocked everyone's view of the end result.

After a few moments, Shiftry leaped out of the cloud, landing in front of Gina where several signs of exhaustion could be seen. The dust cloud faded away, allowing everyone see the large crater that had been created by the Giga Impact, with Gallade resting a the center of it. Both its eyes had been replaced by a pair of black swirls, signifying the end of the battle.

"I win Freshman." Gina said, approaching her Pokemon. "Good job Shiftry, get some rest."

Gina returned her tired Pokemon to its Poke-ball before glancing at Blake who sighed in defeat before moving up to the crater where he returned his Gallade to its Poke-ball.

"Thank you for the battle miss Grays." Blake said rather politely before he left the field, retreating to one of the corridors in the Battle Arena. Once he was sure he was alone, a dark smile formed on his face. 'Act one can now begin.'

* * *

><p>"That was pretty impressive." Paul commented as he, Gary and Jimmy exited the Battle Arena after Gina and her crowd of her followers had left.<p>

"But he still lost." Gary mumbled, glancing at Jimmy who only shrugged.

"Well its not like we expected him to fix everything in one day Gary. At least we know that he's good enough to make Gina battle seriously." Jimmy said, recalling some of the highlights of the battle. "But if you ask me, I think Gallade could have dodged that Giga Impact at the end."

"I thought so too. It seemed to me like it surrendered to Shiftry even though it could have cut itself loose from that Grass Knot." Paul added.

"But he lost the match either way you look at it." Gary went on.

"Calm down Gary." Paul said, looking toward the brunette. "He may have lost, but he gave her a run for her money which is something no one has been able to do since she became Rank 1. This means we're making progress."

* * *

><p>"That was an awesome battle, wasn't it Dawn?" Ash asked, looking toward the girl who he had dragged along to come watch the battle with him after Blake's declaration in the cafeteria.<p>

"Yeah, that freshman is really strong. Do you know what his name is?"

"Blake. He's from the Johto Region. I really hope I get to battle against him at some point this year." Ash replied before feeling something crawl up his pants and shirt before settling on his shoulder.

"Pika!" The small electric type Pokemon said to Ash, greeting him after their short separation over the past two days.

"Pikachu, you're back!" Ash exclaimed happily, crushing the small Pokemon in a hug before his head perked up when he came to realization. "But then that means-"

"Ash Ketchum, what do you think you're doing with her?" The sixteen year old junior known as Misty Waterflower hollered as she approached her boyfriend.

"Hey Misty, how are you feeling today?" Ash asked her with a sheepish smile, trying to skip over the argument that was sure to take place.

"I asked you a question Ash. Answer it." Misty said sternly.

"Alright Misty." Ash said, deciding that it was best to submit to avoid making Misty irritated. "Dawn came with me to see the battle in the Arena."

"Why didn't you find me instead of going with this blue haired bimbo?" Misty asked, completely ignoring Dawn who was obviously offended by her comment.

"The battle was about to start, I didn't want to miss anything." Ash replied quickly. "And I wanted some company."

"So you picked her over me?" Misty asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"No Misty. You know I would never do something like that." Ash responded through grit teeth at the fact that Misty would ask such a question.

"Then why are you with her?" Misty asked slowly, pointing an accusing finger at Dawn. The bluenette could tell that Ash was becoming frustrated with just a quick glance, and she could also tell that Misty was aware of that as well.

"Why do you acre so much Misty?" Dawn cut in. "Ash only has eyes for you, and it's obvious that he only invited me to come with him because he wanted to see the entire battle."

Misty's sharp gaze shifted to Dawn which sent a shiver down the girl's back, but she didn't back down.

"Stay out of this." Misty hissed at her before returning her stare to Ash. "So Ash, why are you with-"

"Misty, just leave it at that. Ash wouldn't do a thing to hurt you. We came as friends and nothing more." Dawn interjected a second time.

"I said to stay out." Misty turned to her again, giving Dawn a glare which the blue haired girl gladly returned. "Ash, answer my..."

Misty trailed off as she looked toward Ash once again, only to find him walking away. His hands were in his pockets, his shoulders were hunched as his partner was closely following him.

"Fine. Go ahead and sulk, but we'll finish this later." Misty called out before looking toward Dawn. "And you, stay away from Ash, or else."

Swiftly, Misty turned on her heels before storming off in the opposite direction Ash had left in. Dawn watched her go with a hard stare which softened when she remembered that Ash had also left. Scanning the area, Dawn realized that Ash had successfully disappeared into the crowd of students that were returning to the Academy.

"Oh boy, where'd Ash go?" Dawn asked out loud, unable to spot the raven haired boy among the crowd.

"I believe he's headed for the junior dorms." A male voice said from behind Dawn, leaving her frightened from the unexpected encounter.

'Conway.' Dawn said as she whirled around, observing the guy that always seemed to be tailing her. Thanking Conway for the information, Dawn continued to move through the crowd toward her destination, finding that Conway was keeping pace with her from a small distance.

"From their latest encounter, you can tell that Ash is upset with where his relationship with Misty is headed." Conway began, trying to start a conversation with Dawn.

"Anyone with common sense in this school can see that." Dawn muttered.

"And rumor has it that your after Ash." Conway went on, causing Dawn to come to a complete halt.

"Rumor? Who started a rumor about me?" Dawn asked, turning around to look at Conway directly.

"An insightful source informed me of this." Conway replied, readjusting his glasses so that the glare from the sun reflected on his glasses, blocking his eyes from view.

"And who would that source be?"

"That's none of your concern, but what I can tell you is that Ash is reaching his limit of tolerance for Misty." Conway explained. "He won't be able to put up with it for much longer, and that depressed attitude he has gained from this relationship is ruining his battling style."

'Ash is…depressed?' Dawn exclaimed mentally.

**October 7th**

**Tsugi Academy**

**Gymnasium**

The gym was one of the largest rooms of the Academy with a clean wooden floor that spanned the size of six basketball courts. All of the students in the class were currently jogging around the border of the room as a warm up in the uniforms that had been given to them. It was nothing more than plain white t-shirt and black shorts that stopped at the knees for guys and mid thigh for girls.

Another requirement was that the girls pull their hair back into a pony tail, but this rule went unchecked simply because Ms Maylene, the gym teacher, failed to follow this rule herself.

Out of the people that Blake had met so far, Dawn, Misty, Brock and Paul were in this class along with Ash who wasn't present.

"Have guys seen Ash at all?" Dawn asked now that everyone had completed their warm up, thinking about the dark haired boy that still hadn't returned to school. Worst of all, she had paid a visit to Ash's room where she found Pikachu outside of his room, hunger and unwashed. She was quick to take Pikachu under her care for the past day, but she hadn't seen the boy at all.

"No, I haven't seen him." Brock replied while scanning the room for Holly, the brown haired beauty of a senior that was casually chatting with a group of her friends.

After a few moments, Holly noticed Brock's stare which she returned for a few moments. Brock then proceeded to wave, but Holly only turned her back to him to hide the slight blush on her cheeks. Brock dropped his head in a dejected manner, unaware of Holly's reason for turning away from him.

"She'll never go out with me." Brock mumbled to himself, dropping down to his bottom.

"No need to worry Brock." Dawn said, attempting to comfort her friend only groaned inwardly.

"Alright class!" Maylene called out to get everyone's attention. "Today we're going to play everyone's favorite game, capture the flag. Pokemon included!"

Instead of just regular capture the flag, with the Pokemon added into the mix of the normal game added a real sense of strategy to it. Now the students had to plan out how they would uses their Pokemon to their advantage in order to claim victory.

"The blue team will consist of all freshman and sophomores. The red team will have all the juniors and seniors." Maylene shouted, getting many complainants from the underclassmen that this game would be too one sided.

**Off Campus-West Field**

Maylene blew her whistle, signaling the start to the match.

Seniors and juniors versus and sophomores and freshman.

The field they were using had several different areas for them to move about in from a wide open plain to a thick forest. Both teams had decided to hide their flags in the forest, leaving a small group to defend it while the others went off in search of the other team's flag.

The rules of the game were simple. If your Pokemon faints, you're out. And the only way to get back in the game was to find one of the two Restoration Machines that were hidden somewhere in the forest.

Dawn and Piplup had been included in the search group, but the two of them were quick top notice that Blake had gone off on his own without consulting the rest of the team.

"Blake, where are you going?" Dawn called out, jogging over the boy she had become fast friends with over the past two days because he had somehow gotten his hands on her dairy.

"To find the other team's flag." Blake replied.

"By yourself?"

"The level of competence this team has is sub-par. No sense working with them right now." Blake went on before a light bulb flashed over his head. 'How about a little test.'

Glancing back at the bluenette, Blake began to cackle as she held a small discussion with her Piplup.

"Why don't you join me Dawn?" Blake asked, getting her attention.

"Why should I?" Dawn inquired, narrowing her eyes.

"Diary." Was all Blake said with a dark smile.

"I'm coming." Dawn said quickly, remembering how much blackmail material Blake now possessed and was already beginning to use against her, although he didn't seem to have any bad intentions with it. He only made her do trivial stuff that she wouldn't do otherwise. "So do you have a plan?"

"We get the flag, and bring it back." Blake replied as he led her into the red team's territory. 'And maybe we'll have some fun along the way.'

* * *

><p>"There." Blake whispered, pointing down at the red flag that had been hung on a tree trunk, closely guarded by Misty and two female juniors that were currently chatting quietly. A Starmie, Gastrodon and Lairon were surrounding the girls, acting as the guardians of both the flags and the girls.<p>

"What we going to do?" Dawn asked in return.

"Just follow my lead." Blake replied. "You take Misty and I'll handle the other two."

"Alright." Dawn gave Blake a nod before he outlined what Dawn and Piplup would have to do.

Once Blake finished his explanation, he and Dawn were lowered down to the ground by Gallade using telekinesis, attracting the attention of Misty and the juniors. Smirks formed each of their faces as they looked around for Blake and Dawn's Pokemon, concluding that they didn't have any.

"What happened, did you forget your Pokemon?" Misty asked with a sneer once she recognized Dawn.

Ignoring the insults the juniors continued to spout at them, Blake and Dawn entered their attacking range.

"Starmie, get the blue one with Water Gun." Misty ordered, folding her arms in front of her chest as her Starmie fired a strong stream of water from one of the many points on its body toward Dawn.

Dawn jumped to her left, narrowly avoiding the attack which was a signal for Gallade an Piplup to get on the move. Gallade burst out of its position in the trees, both its elbows extending outward while gaining a greenish glow. Before any of the juniors could get a grasp on the situation, Gallade landed a dual Leaf Blade attack on Gastrodon. Gallade continued past Gastrodon as it collapsed to the ground, charging towards its second target. The Lairon.

"What the..." Misty's eyes followed Gallade as it sprinted toward Lairon, once against landing a dual Leaf Blade. But instead of just attacking, Gallade aimed to hit Lairon's body from beneath it where its armor wasn't as thick. Lairon was sent flying from the attack into one of the tree trunks where it left a deep imprint on the body of the tree before it fell the ground, unable to continue.

"Piplup, go!" Dawn hollered, seeing it was time for Piplup to play its part while the juniors were still distracted by Gallade.

"Pip-lup." The small penguin Pokemon said as it lunged out of the tree it had been hiding it, throwing itself at the flag. Misty had no time to react as a the small blue Pokemon seemed to burst of no where, snatching the flag off the three trunk before it gave it a toss into the air where Gallade was quick to collect it. The psychic type Pokemon quickly passed it on to its trainer who took off in a full sprint once he was in possession of the flag followed by his Pokemon.

"Alright Piplup, all we have to do is hold off Misty for a few minutes so that she can't warn the others." Dawn said confidently, gaining a glare from Misty.

"I'd chase after that freshman, but I'm way more interested in getting back at you for trying to steal Ash from me." Misty hissed as her glare darkened. "Starmie, use Rapid Spin on her!"

Starmie lunged forward, hovering just a few feet above the ground as it began to spin a high speed. Dawn grit her teeth and attempted to side step the attack, but Starmie only curved its path to continue toward her. With no choice left, Dawn crossed her arms in front of her body in the hope that-that would reduce the damage done. But instead she found a little blue penguin in front of her, taking the attach in her stead.

Starmie bounced back after hitting Piplup which sent the smaller Pokemon flying away from the group.

"Piplup!" Dawn exclaimed, realizing her partner had taking the hit for her.

"Never look away from the battle. Starmie, get her with Water Gun!" Misty shouted, pointing at Dawn. The bluenette was abruptly ripped from the ground by a blast of water which pushed her backward into one of the tree trunks that filled the area.

Misty's expression remained cold as Dawn hit the trunk with a thud before dropping to the ground. Once Misty had traveled over to Dawn, she lifted the girl by grabbing a hand full of her long blue locks so that the two of them could look into each others eyes.

"I'm going to tell you this one more time. Ash. Is. _Mine_." Misty whispered harshly to her which only got a weak smile Dawn.

"Ash is too warm and nice, to love someone with a heart as cold as yours." Dawn whispered back which succeeded in enraging Misty. Dawn found her face taking a beating from Misty's bare hand, struggling to defend herself.

"Pip-lup!" Piplup shouted, sprinting into the fray where it leaped at Misty to protect Dawn, its beak becoming a bright silver. Prepared to strike Misty no matter what, Piplup failed to notice the spinning the star that intercepted it.

"Good Starmie, no use Psychic on it!" Misty said as both Starmie and Piplup landed on the ground. The jewel at the center of Starmie's body began to glow before a Piplup's body became surrounded by a blue outline.

"Pip?" It said in confusion, unable to move any of limbs. Piplup was suddenly thrown backward into one of the trunks, breaking the bark before it was thrown into another one. Starmie continued to beat the penguin Pokemon until Misty was sure it wouldn't interfere again.

"Heh, that flightless bird is completely useless." Misty commented as she glanced at the small Pokemon that had failed to be of any use during their battle. "It doesn't matter if Ash doesn't like me, he'll never like someone with a useless Pokemon. You might as well give up before-"

Dawn palmed Misty's forehead, and their positions were reversed. Now Dawn had Misty pressed against the tree with a fistful of Misty's hair.

"Don't ever tell a lie like that about Ash! He loves all Pokemon!" Dawn shouted angrily as she landed one good slap across Misty's face. But before she could continue, the two juniors Misty had been with grabbed her from behind, restraining her by her arms. "Let go of me!"

"Fat chance." One of them said as Mist rose from the ground, a dark look in her eyes as she stared at Dawn. Malice was rolling off of her in waves.

Misty silently walked over Dawn, balling up both of her hands into two tight fists which she used to hit Dawn in the stomach twice. Dawn gave a pained gasp as the two juniors that had been holding her released their grip, allowing her to fall. The blue haired girl could only rest on the ground, clutching her lower torso in pain.

Misty placed her right foot on top of Dawn's head, beginning to shift her weight from her left leg to her right. Dawn grit her teeth, trying to bear through the pain as hot tears began to leak out her eyes. Misty's left leg was a blur in Dawn's vision, but Dawn made that her target. Reaching out for it, Dawn took a hold of Misty's ankle.

Dawn gave Misty's left leg a hard tug which resulted in Misty toppling over. The orange haired girl had landed on her bottom, taking a moment to realize what had happened before she immediately returned to her feet.

"You...you're making me really angry." Misty muttered as she stared down at Dawn who was trying to get up. Dawn received a hard kick to the stomach, followed by a second one before Piplup intervened again.

"Piplup!" It screamed as it jumped at Misty again while Dawn's vision faded to black. Misty was caught off guard this time, giving the penguin Pokemon a chance to land a hard Peck attack on her left forearm which Misty had used as a last second defense.

"Stupid bird." Misty mumbled as Starmie knocked Piplup away with another Rapid Spin. "That'll teach you to try messing with me. Take her body and put it near the lake along with the bird."

Up in a tree that was over looking the small clearing Misty had Dawn had been fighting in, Blake quietly rested on a tree branch, observing the exchange between the girls.

'Aggressive orange hair. Supportive blue hair. Flightless bird...' Blake said to himself, a smile growing on his face as Misty and her sidekicks left the clearing. 'This is going to be a lot of fun!'

**Junior Dorms**

**Roof**

Ash rested on his back near the edge if the roof, his legs dangling over the side as the teenage boy stared up at the blue skies above. It had only been two days since he had last spoken with Misty, but he still didn't couldn't believe that she was so quick to conclude that he was cheating on him.

'How could she believe that I would do something like that to her?' Ash asked himself, recalling all of the effort he had put forth in order to win Misty over during their sophomore year. She had just experienced a break up with Gary, and Ash saw this an opportunity to show her that he was someone she could depend on.

_Ash quietly shushed Misty as he sobbed to herself, trying to comfort her by rubbing her back._

_"Don't worry Misty, everything its going to be alright." Ash assured her in a soft voice, but Misty tried to scoot away to keep to herself._

_"No, it's not!" She said sorrowfully, but as she tried to take some distance from Ash, she discovered that he had already gotten a hand around her torso to pull her in to a hug._

_"Yes it will Misty. You just need to give it some more time." _

'I wouldn't cheat on her.'

"_Misty Waterflower, please go on a date with me!: Ash shouted from the platform he stood on in the Battle Arena. He had just won his quarter-final match in the School-wide tournament, and he had decided that this would be his best chance to get Misty to agree to a date._

_Misty turned a dark shade of red before shouting at Ash for embarrassing her in front of everyone. But in the end, she still agreed to the date, placing one extra large grin on Ash's face._

'I couldn't cheat on her.'

"_Ash, that was just fantastic." Misty commented as the two of the lay on a grassy hill that over looked the entire Tsugi campus. Ash had just taken her on a walk around the campus during the night past curfew, and because all of the lights were off, they could see all of the stars in the skies above._

"_You liked it?"_

"_Of course silly." Misty replied as the both sat up to look at each other. "And this is my thank you."_

_Misty was quick to place a soft peck on Ash's cheek, resulting in the boy going dark red. Fortunately, this couldn't be seen in the darkness that had set in hours before._

* * *

><p><strong>There, Chapter 2. Please <strong>**_review_**** because other than the little touch of drama, I'd like to know what anyone thinks of the battles, if they're hard to understand or if they make any sense to begin with.**

**In this fic since most trainers will only have one Pokemon, I've decided to have each Pokemon use more than four moves. It'll most likely be four attack moves and four status moves. Being limited to just four attacks is pretty irritating, so there ya go.**

**Tell me what you think about what you've read so far. I'm open for anything you've got to say! R & R**


	3. The Days Keep Passing By

**Revised.**

* * *

><p><strong>Part 3<strong>

**October 7th**

**Junior Dorms**

**Roof**

Ash felt a soft tug at his shirt which awakened him from the lovely daydream he had been in. Raising his head, Ash looked over to his left where he found a bruise covered Piplup desperately trying to get his attention.

"Piplup?" Ash said, remembering the fact that besides Pikachu, Piplup was the only person that had knew about his hangout spot on top of the junior dorms. It had spent an entire day searching for him, and when it discovered his whereabouts, Ash begged it to keep his hiding spot a secret before he spent an entire night chatting with the penguin. "What's up?"

"Pip! Piplup Pii!" It said loudly, pointing toward the west side of the campus.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked as second time as he tried to decipher what the small Pokemon was saying to him. All he was sure about at the moment was that it wanted him to follow it somewhere.

Piplup continued to speak at a fast pace while pulling on Ash's shirt until he rose to his feet. Piplup then took off toward the small ladder that led up to the roof, stopping at the edge where it motioned for Ash to come with it.

**Off Campus**

**West Field**

Ash sprinted through the woods, Piplup resting on his shoulder since the it could no longer run on its own from the damage it had taken from the battle that had taken place a little over an hour ago. Piplup was giving Ash directions as he ran, leading him toward its destination.

'Whatever happened, it must be really important.' Ash muttered to himself, glancing at the small Pokemon that held a determined look on its face.

"Pip!" Piplup said suddenly, leaping off of Ash's shoulder to move on its own. Realizing Piplup had abandoned him, Ash came skidding to halt before turning to pursue the small Pokemon. When he caught up to the Pokemon, Ash found a sight that left him speechless.

Resting against the base of a tree trunk in a torn up gym uniform with a swollen left cheek and a busted lip was Dawn. She was clearly unconscious and her hair was a mess.

"I have to get her to Nurse Joy." Ash said to himself as he knelled down beside Dawn to scoop her up from the ground. Piplup quickly climbed back up onto Ash's shoulder.

"Piplup!" It said, pointing in the direction of the school. Ash gave it a nod before taking off a sprint toward the school. The fastest route to Nurse Joy's Office was through the cafeteria, and while he didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to himself and Dawn, he was sure that Dawn needed to be treated right away.

**Cafeteria**

"Still nothing from Ashy-boy?" Gary asked, taking a seat at the table that consisted of Jimmy, Paul, Brock and himself. Dawn and Marina also sat at this table, but neither of them were present at the moment.

"Nah. He's been missing for a few days now and I haven't seen him at all." Jimmy replied.

"This strange behavior, even for Ash." Paul muttered.

"So he's not even in his dorm room?" Brock asked, looking around at the other guys who were juniors since they were the closest to Ash in terms of location.

"Haven't seen him there either." Jimmy responded with a thug.

"Well knowing Ash, he'll have to get hungry at some point." Paul mumbled, getting a snort from the guys at the clear fact about Ash. Eating was always one of the top priorities on his list.

Just then, the doors to the cafeteria from the outside of the school were thrown open, revealing Ash who held and unconscious Dawn and her Piplup. The small penguin Pokemon had passed out from exhaustion during Ash's return trip to the Academy, the amount of damage that had piled up on its body finally knocking out.

"I should've made a bet on that." Gary muttered, seeing that this would've been an easy opportunity to earn a few bucks.

Ash continued to move through the crowd cafeteria, ignoring all the stares that had fallen upon him as most of the students began to wonder why he was holding a sleeping Dawn. Most of them remained quiet though, until a certain orange haired girl noticed her boyfriend.

"Ash Ketchum, what do you thinking you're doing?" Misty shouted, rising from her seat.

Ignoring the shout of his girlfriend, Ash continued to move through the cafeteria only to be halted by her once again when he was nearing the exit of the cafeteria that went further into the building. She stood directly in his path to make sure he couldn't go any further.

"What are you doing?" She asked again, staring intently at the girl in Ash's arms.

"Misty, this isn't a good time right now." Ash replied, trying to brush past Misty, but she refused to let him do so.

"Why isn't it a good time?" She asked rather coldly.

"Well for one thing, there's a body in my arms that needs to be taken care of." Ash replied in a matter of fact tone which caused Misty's gaze to shift to him.

"I can see that Ash, but I want to know why you're carrying her and her Pokemon." Misty said pointedly before pointing at Dawn with her left hand.

"They're my friends Misty. I found them like this and I couldn't just leave them there. " Ash responded before noticing the large bruise that had formed on Misty's forearm during gym class. "What happened to your arm Misty."

"Nothing, it was just an accident from gym." Misty explained, pulling back her arm.

"Misty, you should get that checked out by Nurse Joy. It might swell up or something." Ash continued in a genuine manner, using this chance to change the subject.

"Ash, I'm fine." She spoke a deadpan, a sign that she wanted him to back off. "Now stop changing the subject and tell me what you're doing with her."

"I found her like this Misty. She needs help and I'm going to give it to her." Ash replied sternly, giving Misty and unwavering stare. This gained a huff from the girl since she knew Ash was going to back down now.

"Alright, take her to the Nurse. But nothing else had better happen." Misty said, stepping out of Ash's path to allow him to get going."

"Thanks Misty." Ash said kindly, placing a kiss on her cheek before dashing out of the cafeteria. Misty sighed to herself before noticing Gary who had been watching the exchange between the couple from a far.

As she made her way back to her table, Gary called out to her to get her attention. What could _he_ want?

"What do you want Gary?" Misty asked, getting a chuckle in reply from him.

"What? Am I not allowed to ask how you're doing in public?" Gary asked, taking another bit of the dark red apple he held in one hand.

"How can you eat those apples? They taste terrible." Misty commented with a look of disdain, ignoring Gary's earlier question.

"I don't know what you have against them, but they're sweet. Just like you used to be." Gary replied, giving her a smirk. Misty rolled her eyes before returning to her table as Gary gave a soft chuckle.

**October 8th**

**Nurse's Wing - Midnight**

Dawn's eyes fluttered open. Her vision was nothing but a blurry mess, but after blinking a few more times, it cleared up. She found herself resting on a bed in a white room. Further down the bed she could see Ash resting his head by her feet, sound asleep.

'Wh-where am I?' Dawn asked herself, looking to her right where the window of the room was located. She had a perfect view of the ocean surrounding Tsugi Island, and the moon was shining brightly which lit up the dark room.

Ash stirred a bit, getting Dawn's attention before he let out a large snort which caused the girl to jump.

'Ash?' Dawn said, observing his sleeping form. His face was so innocent as he slept.

A pair of foot steps came rushing to the door before Nurse Joy opened it up, peering into the room.

"What was that?" She asked herself, looking for the source of the loud noise she had just heard. Entering Dawn's room, Nurse Joy practically leaped out of her skin when Ash let out another loud snore. Placing a hand on her chest, Nurse Joy took a few deep breaths to calm herself after getting caught off guard like that.

"Nurse Joy?" Dawn said slowly, realizing that she must be in the Nurse's Wing.

The Nurse's Wing was a small area that was an extension from the Tsugi Academy that was basically the hospital of the school. While most students would simply come in with simple problems such as a cold or made the flu at one point in the year, in the off chance that something serious were to happen, there was a Chansey team that was always ready to work.

"Ah, you're awake." She said, approaching Dawn to check her.

"What happened to me?" Dawn asked, noticing just how sore her torso felt.

"Ash said he found you off campus like this. Do you remember anything that happened?"

Dawn looked up at the ceiling in thought, recalling everything that had taken place in the last day. Before she could answer thought, Ash slid off his chair, creating a loud thud when he hit the ground which successfully awakened him.

"Oww." Ash mumbled to himself as he rubbed the side of his head. Nurse Joy had moved over the boy to help him return to his feet while checking on his head.

"Oww." Ash mumbled to himself as Nurse Joy ran over to check him.

"Are you okay?" She asked

"Yeah, I'm good." Ash replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

"That's good. So Dawn, can you remember anything?" Nurse Joy asked again.

'Ash would be crushed if I said Misty did this to me.' Dawn said mentally before shaking her head. "No, I can't remember anything after gym class. How did I end up here?"

"Ash brought you here during lunch hour and refused to leave until you woke up." Nurse Joy explained, getting a grin from Ash. "So make sure you think him."

"I just wanted to make sure that you were okay Dawn." Ash explained, giving her a small grin as his cheeks redden. Luckily the darkness of the room did a fine job in hiding this.

"T-thanks Ash." Dawn mumbled, trying to hide red cheeks.

"No problem."

"Come along Ash, if you want to see her soon you'll have to leave her so that she can rest." Nurse Joy said, leading Ash out of the room with her. "Sleep well Dawn."

**First Period**

Ash burst into the large science room, halting the lecture the bald headed teacher had been giving. Advanced Pokemon Biology wasn't his best class, in fact it was far from it. It was the only class where Ash was completely clueless during most of the lessons, although the teacher of the class could see why Ash had a bit of trouble understanding the more scientific side of Pokemon. Ash was more of an instinctive learner when it came to Pokemon, so learning by a book proved to be difficult for the boy.

"Mr. Ketchum. It's good to see that you are well." He said, motioning to the empty seat that was Ash's desk.

"It's good to be back Mr. Blaine." Ash replied with a small grin, taking his seat. Once Ash was comfortably seated, he raised an eyebrow when he discovered that it was Blake seated next to him despite the boy being a freshman.

The class had begun to chatter with the sudden disturbance, so Blaine resorted to slapping the white board with his hand to get back everyone's attention.

"So as I was saying before I was interrupted, the fangs of Arbok and Seviper contain similar acids burn through what metal?" Blaine asked the class. He always started a lesson like this. The point was to see if the students could make an educated guess based off the information they had been learning throughout the year, although he never expected anyone to answer him correctly.

"Copper and silver." Paul called out, catching Blaine off guard. "And an interesting fact about this acid is that it does the exact opposite to gold, removing rust and preserving it."

"Correct." Blaine said with a smirk, looking at his star student who returned his gaze through his Pokedex. Paul spent a majority of his class time simply reading over the information on the panels of his Pokedex, recording the data in his mind as if he was machine. Many teachers would believe that he wasn't paying any attention of the lesson, but his grades were a clear indication that he could multi-task and still ace a class.

"Wow." The entire room was impressed with Paul once again, everyone but Ash Ketchum.

"Mr. Blaine, give me a question." Ash called out, raising his hand confidently. Everyone's attention shifted to Ash.

"Alright Ash." Mr Blaine said, looking up in thought. "What gas is used by fire types such as Charizard to keep its tail lit all the time?"

The answer was obvious.

"Aww, that's easy." Ash replied with a grin, causing even Paul to glance up at him with mild interest. "Propane."

"What?" Mr. Blaine said as the entire class fell out of their seats with the exception of Paul who stared at Ash in a deadpan. Blake let out a loud laugh before calling Ash an idiot for giving such a dumb answer. Blaine was quick to correct Ash's answer, but Ash couldn't seem to get a grasp on the simple concept.

"I still don't get what oxygen has to do with any of this." Ash said, trying to get Mr. Blaine's attention.

"I don't get paid enough for this." Blaine mumbled to himself, turning away from Ash.

* * *

><p>The bell rang signalling the end of class, much to the relief of the entire class since Mr. Blaine was about to begin another rant about his days back on Cinnabar Island.<p>

"Finally!" Ash exclaimed. Snatching his backpack from the floor, Ash threw the strap over his shoulder before leaving the room with the crowd. Paul and Blake were among the last to leave the room, Blake now possessing great interest in the boy with an odd hair color. This caused Blake to frown.

'I still haven't found anything on this guy. He's completely neutral to any and everything around him.' Blake mumbled to himself as he tossed his supplies in his backpack before taking out the disguise he had used on the first day. 'Maybe I should give him a little push and see what happens."

Paul made his way to his second period class, Blake following him from a distance with a pair of large square glasses and a plastic nose on his face as a ridiculous disguise. Blake received a lot of attention in the hallways, many of the students calling out to him, but he gave no reply. His only interest was Paul.

Paul entered his Pokemon Ancient Studies class, giving Professor Rowan, the teacher, a quiet hello before taking his seat at the back of the classroom. Blake followed him in, ignoring Rowan's attempts to confront him while removing his disguise. First he would make himself known to Paul.

Looming over the purple haired guy, Blake told a hold of one the strands of his hair which he gave a small tug to gain Paul's attention. Paul gave Blake a rather dark stare. He hated it when people went as far as to touch his hair.

"Is this natural?" Blake asked as Paul swatted his hand away.

"Yes...because I of all people would want purple hair." Paul replied sarcastically in his usual gruff tone. Blake chuckled as this before deciding that he would take the seat next to Paul. But it was currently occupied by a junior who had his back turned to Blake.

"Excuse me." Was all Blake as he pushed the junior out of the seat using his foot before taking the seat himself. This gained many odd looks from the other students in class, especially Professor Rowan. "So Paul, would you be interested in-"

"Hey, that's my seat." The junior hissed, rising up from the floor.

"Like I care." Blake replied, sparing the junior a glance before returning his gaze to Paul again . "Paul, do you have an interest in-"

"I said, that's my seat." The junior repeated, grabbing Blake by the collar of his shirt to lift him out his seat. Before the junior could get another word out, Blake decked him with his left hand. This forced the junior to release his hold on Blake's shirt, stumbling backward a bit while holding his jaw.

Blake landed on his feet in silence, giving the junior a blank stare in return for the glare he was receiving.

"Hey, do I have to write a referral for you young man!" Rowan hollered, pointing at Blake.

"Why you little..." The junior muttered as he rushed at Blake, raising his fist to hit Blake. To Blake, this was a sign that a brawl had been initiated. Raising his hands in front of him, Blake prepared himself for the punch the junior was about to hurl at him, but before either of them could actually start the fight, Paul was in between them.

Catching the hand of the junior with his own while pushing Blake away to make sure he couldn't attack, Paul successfully ended their fight. Blake only stumbled two or three steps before he came to a stop at Paul's desk.

"Fighting on school grounds will only result in detention and/or suspension." Paul stated in a bored tone, everyone present staring awe at how he had ended the fight with such ease.

"Good, thank you Paul." Rowan said before Blake snorted. "Young man, can you please leave my room without causing _anymore _trouble?"

"You know what, I just got all the data I needed, so I'll take my leave." Blake said, giving the entire a class a wave and bright smile as he strolled out of the room.

Paul returned to his desk with a heavy sigh, wondering what it was Blake was going to ask him. But that didn't right now, it was time for class. As he took a quick look at his desk, Paul noticed that his Pokedex was missing. Frantically, he searched the desk thoroughly, even going as far as to drop to the ground to search for his Pokedex.

"That bastard." Paul growled as he left the room in a rush.

* * *

><p>"Heh, heh." Blake cackled as he looked through the panels of information of Paul's Pokedex. It contained detailed data on over two hundred Pokemon, and by the looks of it, he could tell that Paul was trying to store every single bit of this information in his head. "You'll be quite useful with a store house like this Paul."<p>

"Blake!" Paul roared from the other end of the hallway.

"Oh, there you are Paul-" Blake began his greeting only to be cut off when he received a fist to his face from Paul which sent him to the ground with a thud.

"Return my Pokedex." Paul stated in a dark tone, allowing Blake to return to his feet.

"Normally I wouldn't do something like this, but I can tell that this is really important to you." Blake said, tossing the device to Paul who caught it with both hands. "It's the only thing you have left from you brother, correct?"

"H-How did you figure that out?" Paul asked, looking up at Blake after he returned the Pokedex.

"On the back of it, the name Reggie is engraved on the covering, and I read the message that was stored at the end of the National Dex. It said 'Complete the National Dex, and fulfill Reggie's dream.'" Blake said, repeating the words Paul would read to himself at the beginning and end of each day. "He's dead...right?"

"...Yeah." Paul replied as he recalled the day he was called home from middle school back in Sinnoh to receive some bad news. Reggie had been killed in an explosion in Veilstone City. With his last family member gone, Paul was officially an orphan with nothing but the clothes on his back and Reggie's Pokedex which had been collected from the wreckage.

"Are you going cry?" Blake asked almost mockingly as he turned away from Paul. The purple haired boy steeled himself at this, his voice returning.

"No, it would mean that I am still the same kid I was three years ago before I left the orphanage to come to the Tsugi Island." Paul replied firmly, gaining a smile from Blake.

"So your goal is to change?" Blake asked, receiving a strong nod from Paul that fit his usual composure. "Good, that means you'll be of use to me after all."

**October 14th**

Paul and Blake had spent the last week together skipping a class here and there in order to make the plans for a training regime Blake had been speaking about. After examining Paul's training style, Blake could see that while Paul's methods were a bit harsh, it really did draw out the full potential of each Pokemon. It would be something he would put to good use later on.

Aside discussing their methods for training Pokemon, two of them also began to prepare for an event in November that Blake had dubbed, 'Fancy Friday'.

**November 3rd**

The rest of October flew by, ending the first quarter of the year for the gang. Ash barely escaped getting a D in Pokemon Biology, which was more than enough to please him with how much he struggled in the class. In all his other classes thought, just like his friends, they maintained the high grade point average that was expected of all students.

Blake had spent a majority of his time simply moving around the campus to gather the data he needed before he could proceed with his plans. He had become good friends with the rest of the gang, gaining quite a bit of blackmail information on each of them which he kept secret. This would come in handy later on when it would be needed.

**Fourth Period-Lunch**

**Off Campus**

The sophomore couple known as Jimmy and Marina were seated under a tall pine tree with a small blanket laid out for them to sit on. Marina had brought a picnic basket which was well stocked with a meal she had selected from the school cafeteria just a few minutes before. The two of them had decided to eat lunch away from the usual mayhem of the school cafeteria and enjoy the quiet surroundings of the Tsugi Academy.

"Can you believe the first quarter is over already?" Marina asked, looking toward Jimmy who gave her a nod in reply.

"This year is moving really fast." Jimmy agreed with a smile, watching as Marina opened up the basket to retrieve one the jell-o cups that had been packed inside.

"Which would you prefer Jimmy, orange or cherry?"

"Orange please." Jimmy responded as he sat down cross-legged beside Marina as she peeled off the top of the cup. Fishing a spoon out of the basket, Marina offered Jimmy a spoonful of jell-o which he gladly accepted. "Marina, you rock!"

"Only for you Jimmy." She replied as several shadows were cast over the couple.

"Having your girlfriend feed you must be great, ain't it sophomore?" This question came from a tall junior with a deep voice as he and a group of his pals surrounded Jimmy and Marina on their blanket.

'Damn, there's way too many of them for me to handle this on my own...not to mention Marina just finished healing up from her last encounter with these dudes.' Jimmy muttered to himself as he recognized this junior as part of the group he had beaten little over a month ago. "Marina, get behind me."

"Oh, are you planning to take all of on at once." The same junior continued with an arrogant smirk. "Well guys, let's see how that goes."

"Marina, when I say move, I want you to book it." Jimmy said, cracking his knuckles as he got a nod in reply from Marina. The least he could do was allow Marina to get away, even that meant taking a beating for himself.

Jimmy dashed at the nearest junior where he proceeded to slam both of his palms into the chest of the junior which sent him tumbling backward into the two guys that were behind him. By the time the group of juniors reacted to Jimmy's initial attack, the sophomore couple had begun to move through the opening Jimmy had created.

"Run Marina!" Jimmy roared as he came to halt to hold back the guys that were pursuing them. There was now way that they would be able to out run these guys. Despite his efforts, Jimmy failed to keep back all of them to Marina enough time to get a good head start. Three juniors went on to chase down Marina, quickly catching up to the bluenette who they tackled to the ground. Marina gave a yelp as she hit the ground, but even as she returned to her feet, she found that all three guys had blocked off her exit path.

"Heh, thought you were going to get away didn't you?" One of the juniors asked as the noticed that she was chewing on her lower lip, trying to think of a way to escape.

"Marina!" Jimmy shouted when he spotted his girlfriend being blocked off by the group of three. Unfortunately, because Jimmy allowed himself to be distracted, he took a blow to this stomach followed by and uppercut to his chin. Jimmy stumbled backward before he fell over, landing on his bottom as he was now dazed from the punch.

Without any hesitation, the was quick to land a harsh kick to the side of Jimmy's head which sent him rolling across the grassy field.

'Oh man, Jimmy's in a pickle!' Marina exclaimed before realizing that only two of the original three juniors were in her line of sight now.

A large arm suddenly closed up around her neck from behind, getting a gasp of surprise from Marina. She could still breath normally, but the guy behind her was holding her in place firmly. Now one of the two juniors in front of her stepped forward where he took this chance to sock her in the guy which gained a shout from her. Marina tried to hunch over from the pain, but the guy holding her back refused to allow her this as his partner continued to hit her.

"Heh, can't take anymore girly?" One of them asked before hearing Marina growl quietly. Bearing through all of the pain she was in, Marina took action. Swinging her leg forward and then backward, both of the guys that had been close to her dropped to the ground, yelling out in pain as they covered their groin.

"What the?" The remaining junior only stared at Marina for a moment before her understood what had taken place. "Now you're really asking for it."

A fit of laughter from the canopy above Marina and the junior's attention, but before either of them could look up, a body landed on top of the remaining the remaining the junior which knocked him to the ground.

"Oh, that's rich!" Blake shouted, holding his sides as he failed to contain his laughter. "I would've never expected Jimmy's girlfriend to do something so bold!"

"He-y!" Marina said, her cheeks becoming a rosy at Blake's statement before her attention was drawn to Jimmy who was thrown at them. He hit the ground with a thud, and Marina could clearly see that he taken quite a few hits from those guys. "Jimmy!"

Blake's laughter came a stop when he took note of the six juniors that were now in front of him, waiting to continue what they had started with Jimmy.

"Jimmy...get up." Blake said, his expression hardening. "These punks should be no match for you."

Jimmy sighed as he pushed himself up from the ground, which surprised Marina and the juniors since he looked like he had been run over by a stampede of Tauros.

"I'm just out of practice Blake." Jimmy replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You've gone soft. Having a girlfriend and coming to this private school made you all wimpy." Blake stated before the junior he had been resting on top grumbled a bit before throwing Blake off of him.

"Well I didn't need to fight at this school." Jimmy replied as the remaining guys that Marina and Blake had knocked over returned to their fight, surrounding the group of three underclassmen.

"Well while you were off being a goody two shoes here, I was kickin' ass in Johto, Kanto and Hoenn." Blake declared, jumping to his feet.

"This feels nostalgic doesn't it?" Jimmy asked, looking around at the nine juniors that surrounded them while wiping the blood off his lower lip.

"Like back in Goldenrod City."

"Yup."

"But Jimmy, it'll only be nostalgic if we win."

"That's exactly what I intend to do."

* * *

><p>"Marina, close your mouth or fly might go in." Blake stated, motioning toward Marina who was still shocked at the outcome of the fight. Marina could only stare at the duo in shock. Jimmy, Blake, Typhlosion and Gallade had completely demolished nine Juniors and their Pokemon while only taking a few glancing blows during the entire fight.<p>

"How times did you get hit Blake?" Jimmy asked, glancing at Blake who was seated on the back of the largest junior that was in the group.

"Zero." Blake replied, grinning at his partner in crime. "How about you?"

"Four." Jimmy muttered with a sigh.

"Wow Jimmy, you've gotten really rusty. I'll have to whip you back into shape if you plan on helping me fix this dump." Blake said with a dark twinkle in his eyes before he noticed Jimmy's trembling knees. Jimmy's knees buckled, but Blake was quick to slip an arm around his torso to hold him up. "But for now, I guess I'll let you rest up oldie."

"Oldie!" Jimmy shouted as he wrapped his arm around Blake's neck to hold himself up."You're the same age as me!"

"Yeah, but your a couple of days older than me."

'I haven't seen Jimmy this energetic in a while. It must be because Blake is back.' Marina said to herself, watching as her boyfriend and his best friend began to head back toward the Academy. 'It's kind of refreshing.'

"Marina, come on!" Jimmy shouted, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they didn't leave her behind.

"Coming!" She said as she began to pursue them.

"So Blake, what are you going to do first?" Jimmy asked, curious as to what Blake's plans were for the Tsugi Academy.

"Well I'm going to need money. Lots of money. So we're going to blackmail the principal." Blake stated, causing both Jimmy and Marina to deadpan.

"Blake, that's insane." Jimmy replied.

"I know, and you're going to help me."

**November 5th**

**First Period**

**Principal's Office**

"So what did the two of you need from me?" The grown man asked, known as Professor Arnold Spruce the principal of the Tsugi Academy. The two boys were seated on a sofa across from the principal who was also on one of the comfortable chairs, waiting to see why the boys had asked to speak to him privately earlier this morning.

He was a young man, with a full head of black hair and chiseled features. He wore a white lab coat over a plain white t-shirt and a pair of black dress pants. Jimmy was busy working on a laptop while Blake stared at the principal with a wide, devilish smile.

"We received this email from that said you wanted to to talk with us." Blake began, getting a rather confused look from the man before him.

"Hmm. I don't recall doing that." He replied before Jimmy spun around the laptop to show Spruce the false email Blake had written about thirty minutes ago, allowing him to check and see for himself. "But that is my email address...why cant I remember doing this?"

"Just read it." Blake said before chuckling softly.

"It says, 'I, Arnold Spruce, hear by hand over all rights to the school's budget and funding over to Blake, the class treasurer.'" Spruce said, his habit of reading anything in text out loud becoming apparent to Blake. The information he had gotten from Nurse Joy had been useful after all, although he could only wonder why the pink haired woman knew such a strange fact about the principal. "Wait a second, I never agreed to this.

"Oh really, because this recording of you saying that contradicts anything you could say against it." Blake replied as his smirk grew larger.

"What recording?"

"'I, Arnold Spruce, hear by hand over all rights to the school's budget and funding over to the Blake, the class treasurer.'" The recording device Blake now held repeated back to Spruce, leaving the man completely dumbfounded in his seat. That recording was instant proof that Blake now in control of the budget.

"Hand it over." He said, reaching toward Blake's expression became blank.

"Sure." Blake said, placing the device in his hand which left Jimmy to stare at Blake as if he had grown a second head. Spruce was quick chuck the small box at the wall where it shattered into several pieces on impact.

Having a treasurer was the one mistake Spruce was never going to make again. He had done that once about seven years ago, and the results were devastating to the budget he had been given for the teachers. He had nearly lost his job after that, and there was no way he was going to take that risk again.

"Blake, what the hell?!" Jimmy exclaimed, tempted to hit Blake over the head for the all the trouble they had gone through to get this ready for him to send it down the toilet when they had just gained victory. Blake only laughed though, which only confused the other occupants of the room.

"What's so funny?" Spruce asked.

"You thought you were in the clear didn't you?" Blake asked before he stood up, throwing both his arms in the air before he spun around as if to motion to the room as a whole. "The entire room is bugged. Seventeen different devices are recording this conversation, and with the press of a button, I can connect it to the school intercom and play it for everyone to hear."

Spruce's jaw dropped as he stared at Blake who wore a wide smile.

"Err...Shut them down or I'll have you expelled." Spruce said, making a desperate attempt to try and flip the situation.

"Expel lil ol' me?" Blake asked, pointing to himself as he dawned a rather childish expression. From there, Blake's expression morphed to a cold, dark stare. "I don't think so. If you expel me, this conversation will be on national television by the end of the week."

"You wouldn't..." Spruce began in a whisper. "You couldn't..."

"I'm more than capable of doing that. Do you know how easy it is to go to court with material like this? Not to mention this recording is all the evidence I need since the the guidelines to the Tsugi Academy clearly states that only the principal can determine positions such as treasurer to the students, and once that power is given to a student, it remains with them until they graduate and/or leave the school." Blake explained, backing Spruce into a corner where he ultimately surrendered.

"Alright." Spruce muttered. "You've won your position as treasurer, although I hope you know the limits of that power. Once you cross it, I'll be in control again."

"You misunderstand me. I have no interest in abusing this power, just using it to make everything more interesting." Blake explained, giving Spruce a grin before motioning for Jimmy to follow him out of the room.

"So I'm going to assume you're not here to take advantage of the upset in the Ranking System."

"Nope. I decided that I would fix it for fun in order to create a plot for a best selling novel."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3. Alright, not to much going on yet. But this chapter marks the end of setting things up. Now I can start putting things in motion. Some small shipping moment with an action scene mixed in, some good ol' blackmail. Good stuff.<strong>

**Read, Review and Enjoy! :D**


	4. The Schoolwide Tournament Pt 1

**Revised.**

* * *

><p>Part 4<p>

**November 5th**

**Fourth Period-Lunch**

**Cafeteria**

"Oh boy, it's almost that time of the year again." Ash exclaimed excitedly, looking around at his table of rivals, or really just the guys he had engaged in battle before.

"Oh right, the Schoolwide Tournament is coming up." Blake noted as he watched Ash and Pikachu energetically strike poses, getting several laughs from the other occupants of the table.

"Who's going to enter?" Ash asked, glancing around the table to see who he was going to beat this year. Paul, Jimmy, Blake and Brock raised their hands. "Alright, so all of you are at the top of my beat down list."

"Please Ash, I could crush you with my lips stapled shut!" Jimmy declared confidently.

"I highly doubt that, you'd be to busy screaming in pain to give any orders to your Typhlosion." Paul interjected, deciding that logic would be necessary before their argument could continue.

"Yeah besides, the only time you'll be able to beat me is when I dead Jimmy!" Ash fired back, Pikachu giving its trainer a nod of agreement.

"How about you Paul?" Blake asked, turning to the dark haired boy that was seated across from him. , ignoring the competition between Ash and Jimmy as they tried to prove who out of the two of them was stronger

"I'm entering, I have to pay Gina back for knocking me out the tournament last year." Paul explained, glancing up at Blake from his Pokedex.

"Last year's tournament was the best one to date." Jimmy pointed out after surrendering to Ash who won their mock battle. "For the second year in a row, Gina knocked out the top senior and held her place as Rank 1 despite the seniors efforts to take it back from her. And thus, the traditional ranking system was screwed over."

"I see." Blake said, glancing over the junior's section of the cafeteria where Gina was seated with some of her friends.

"So Dawn, are you going to enter this year?" Ash asked, turning to the blue haired beauty who took a moment to think about.

"I'm not sure. Coordinators never do well in the tournament since everyone is so direct with their attacks. No one cares about beauty." Dawn replied as she thought about taking part in this competition.

"Yeah, I agree with Dawn. With you guys it's just a clash of power, no style, grace or beauty." Marina added, nodding in agreement for what her fellow bluenette had pointed out before her attention was drawn to Paul who cleared his throat.

"The two of you forgetting that this is a battle, not a Contest." He said bluntly. "Beauty, style...they don't matter. In a battle, who ever is the last one standing is superior. That's all there is to it."

"Well said Paul!" Blake said as he applauded him which gained a nod of acknowledgement from Paul. Dawn and Marina only blew a raspberry at the two guys before turning away from them with a 'hmph'.

"Only Paul would go as far as to disrespect Contests like that." A new voice interjected from behind Paul, getting everyone's attention. It was a semi tall junior with his trademark green hair that allowed everyone to easily label him as Drew. Holding on his arm was a female brunette with a read bandana on her head she always wore that everyone also knew as May.

"Drew." Paul said in a deadpan, turning back to his Pokedex. "What do you want?"

"It is wrong for me to come visit my trainer friends and wish them good luck in the upcoming tournament?" Drew asked in return, flipping his bangs with his left which gained a snort from the guys.

"I don't want your luck." Paul replied quickly, causing Drew's eyes to narrow as he looked at him.

"So will you be entering this year Drew too?" Ash asked, drawing Drew's focus away from Paul.

"See Paul, why can't you be polite like Ash?" Drew asked Paul. Silence was his reply, getting a shrug from Drew before he returned his gaze to Ash. "Of course, I have to pay Paul back for beating me last year, not to mention I have to show all of you trainer folk how to battle with style."

"So I take it ready ready to have your ass kicked for the third time in a row." Paul said with a smirk as he closed his Pokedex, striking a nerve.

May' Drew's girlfriend, released her grip on his arm since it was clear that Drew was about to engage Paul in one of their daily battles of wits.

"Hey girls." She said, taking a seat across from Dawn and Marina.

"Hey May, how are you?" Marina asked, greeting her old friend.

"Pretty good." She replied before their attention was once again drawn to Drew who had slapped his hand down on the table, angered by Paul's latest comment about his hair color. Ash, Jimmy, Brock and Gary could be seen trying to contain their amusement, although Gary was one the only one that was successful.

"You know what Paul! You hair is just as stupid as mine!" Drew roared, causing Paul to snort.

"So you admit that your hair is stupid." Paul concluded, causing Drew to grab his head in frustration before dashing off.

"Aren't you going to check on him May?" Marina asked, motioning in the direction Drew had run off in.

"No, he'll be back." May replied.

"He always comes back." Paul added causing May to sigh before she glanced at Dawn who still hasn't said a word to her.

"Hey Dawn, aren't you going to say anything to me?" May asked, waiting for a reply. Dawn only turned away from the brunette with a 'hmph' be May realized what was going on. "Oh come on Dawn, you still can't be sour about out last Contest battle, right?"

"I know I shouldn't be May, but having your Blaziken chuck Piplup at me finish the battle was so embarrassing!" Dawn exclaimed, getting a giggle in reply from her two female friends.

"I didn't mean for it to happen like that Dawn. Blaziken tends to put its own little twist onto my commands." May explained, recalling the end of their battle.

_The small penguin Pokemon known as Piplup stood weakly on its end of the stage, glaring up at May's Blaziken who towered over the small water type. The two of them had been exchanging attacks for the past few minutes, and Blaziken's superior power allowed to place a harsh beating on Piplup wihtout taking too many attacks in return._

"_Blaziken, end it with Vital Throw!" May shouted, pointing at Piplup, although Dawn was standing in that path as well. Her Pokemon gave her a quick nod before it dashed at Piplup, scooping it up from the ground in one before reeling its hand back. Dawn's eyes became wide as Blaziken pelted Piplup at Dawn as if the small Pokemon was a baseball._

_Dawn shrieked before she was struck by people which sent both of them tumbling off of the contest stage and into the surrounding crowd of students. Much to the amusement of the crowd, both trainer and Pokemon possessed a black swirls in trade for their eyes. This battle was over._

"Dawn, you know I wouldn't do something like that on purpose." May said, receiving a look of disapproval from Dawn. This only lasted a moment though, then Dawn smiled.

"I know you wouldn't May." Dawn said, prepared to give her friend a huge before a shout from Drew gained their attention. Drew came dashing back over to the table, making a bee-line straight for Paul.

"Back for more?" Paul asked as Drew dropped down in the seat next to him, with a smirk. Drew motioned for Paul to come closer for him to whisper something in his ear which Paul agreed to, wondering what nonsense Drew had to say this time. As Drew spoke, he began to point out different people in the cafeteria which eventually ended at a group of freshman girls that Paul had never noticed before. They were staring at him. Intently.

As Paul made eye contact with the group, they all turned away which only gained raised eyebrows from the boy.

"Top that one." Drew said with a smirk which Paul returned immediately. This time Paul motioned for Drew to lean forward. Paul began to weave a tale as the group watched Drew's facial expression to see if they could understand the gist of the story. At first Drew's expression was neutral until Paul motioned toward May, getting a bright blush from Drew. Paul continued, giving Drew's arm a light nudge before Drew's jaw dropped.

"Damn it Paul!" He shouted, rushing off once again.

"What'd you tell him?" Gary asked curiously.

"He's trying to find a birthday present for May. I simply told him what not to get...and judging his reaction, I can assume that's exactly what he brought." Paul explained, getting a laugh from almost everyone in the group.

Dawn was the only one who didn't laugh. She wanted to, but she was touched that Drew was actually looking for a birthday present for May considering they were stuck on Tsugi Island. It was no easy task to just find an expensive item on island, and catching Pokemon was out of the question. Dawn had to admit, she was touched by Drew's effort.

The bluenette took a quick peek at Ash, watching as he tried to give one of his usual corny jokes, much to the dismay of the guys around him. Maybe sometime in the future she would hear about Ash scouring the island for an item for her.

"So after this tournament ends, does anything else happen?" Blake asked suddenly.

"Well I remember a long time ago we used to have a Winter Dance after the tournament was over. But we haven't had one of those ever since Spruce got the job as principal." Brock explained.

"Yeah, normally the tournament ends three days before the New Year's so we get those three days off to chill out." May added before realizing that she hadn't introduced herself to Blake. "Oh yeah, my name's May. And the crazy guy with the green hair is my boyfriend Drew."

"He's quite the boyfriend." Paul added, glancing at Drew who was huddled in his usual corner of the cafeteria, planning out how he was going to get back at Paul for this one.

"Hey, leave him alone Paul." May said, rising from her seat to go comfort her boyfriend.

'Hmm...so many interesting people to work with.' Blake said to himself, observing all of the people he was planning to work with in the future.

**November 9th - Late Night**

**Freshman Dorms**

**Roof**

Blake rested on his back, unaffected by the cold pavement below as he looked up at the moon that was overhead with his Gallade standing beside him. It was well past curfew so everyone was sound asleep in their rooms, making the entire island silent. The only thing that could be heard was waves rolling in a crash every couple of seconds.

"Well Gallade, it looks like were back to square." Blake said, trying to make some small talk with his partner. "Do you like it here?"

"Gallade." It replied softly with a nod.

"Is it because of all the new people we can battle, or just the area?"

"Lade...Gal." It replied.

"I had a feeling you'd say that."

"Gal?"

"The script? It's still in progress, but what's written so far is sure to happen."

"Gal-lade?"

"It should take an entire school year, so we're here to stay. Although its not like we're going anywhere to begin with. We're stuck an island in the middle of nowhere."

"Lade. Gal-lade?"

"Yes, but losing some battles is part of the script."

"Gal." It said, looking away from Blake.

"Aww, don't be such a sourpuss. The hero always wins in the end."

"Lade?"

"Well this time it isn't going to be us. I know this isn't what we normally do, but this time we have to work from the shadows. Plus, these people are a lot more fun to work with."

"Gallade..."

"Hey, don't be such a let down. I can guarantee you that we'll have a blast here compared to the other Academies."

"Gal...Lade-Ga."

"Don't worry, the network has yet to get something wrong."

"Gal-lade."

"It won't. I've gone through the possibilities dozens of times, I prepared for anything that's possible."

**November 10th - Morning**

**Battle Arena**

"Who do you think this year's winner will be?"

"Definitely Gina, she beat the strongest senior two years running, and she still hasn't lost once get. I'm will to bet on her to be the winner of this tournament too."

"What about that freshman that challenged her last month, he did pretty good against her."

"Nah, she just underestimated him at the beginning so he got a few hits in. If she battles hims seriously, he'll get crushed."

"Is there anyone else to look out for?"

"Well for the sophomores, there David, Drake and Jimmy. Aside from them, there's no other sophomores to look out for. Then for the juniors besides Gina, there's Cynthia, Fiona, Anthony, Mark, Paul and Ash. Other than that group, there's no one else to pay any attention too. No one besides those people can compete with Gina."

Conversations like this took place all over the Battle Arena as the students took their seats, waiting for he first round of the tournament to begin. While most of these discussions were nothing more than lists of people who could give Gina a hard time, everyone was still rooting for her to win.

* * *

><p>"Are you guys ready?" Blake asked as he turned around to look at Ash, Paul and Brock.<p>

"Of course I'm ready. I came to win!" Ash declared, receiving quite a few glares from the other trainers that were waiting for the announcement for the start of round one.

'It's good to see that Ash is returning back to his old self.' Brock said inwardly, watching Ash and Pikachu strike yet another cheesy pose together.

"Can you believe the the tournament brackets!" Jimmy hollered, rushing over to the group who had yet to see who their opponents would be.

"No, I haven't seen it yet." Brock said as Jimmy brought up the listing on his Pokedex to show Brock. Jimmy took a moment to point out Brock's name and then his opponents name which caused his jaw to drop.

"What!" Brock exclaimed, getting everyone's attention.

"What's wrong Brock?" Ash asked, looking back at his friend.

"My first match is against Fiona!" Brock shouted as he dropped to his hands and knees. "There's no way I can win."

"I guess your luck with girls applies to your battles too." Paul mumbled to himself, watching Brock crawl toward one of the corners of the room to sulk. Drew approached the group, taking notice of Brock who was in a corner with a dark rain cloud over his head.

"Was it a girl?" Drew asked, pointing toward Brock.

"Not this time." Ash replied with a snicker. "His first match is against Fiona."

"Aww, that sucks." Drew mumbled before Blake clapped his hands together.

Blake quickly moved over to Brock who was muttering something to himself in the corner of the room.

"Hey Brock." Blake began, getting the attention of the gloomy senior. "Don't be so down about battling Fiona."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Well for one, I'm sure Holly would fall head over heels in love with ya for beating Fiona and becoming Rank 5 in the entire school." Blake explained with a smirk, hitting the bull eye's since Brock suddenly perked.

"Yeah!" Brock shouted, giving a Blake a nod that was now bursting with confidence. Brock jumped up to his feet, his eyes becoming lit with flames as he raised a fist into the air. "Hell yeah! Holly, wait for me!"

"Was that the only thing you had to show us Jimmy?" Paul asked, looking toward Jimmy who had been chuckling at how easily Brock's mood could be swayed.

"Ah, no." Jimmy said as he moved over to Paul, pointing out a pair of matches that would be a hard battle between two single digit ranks in the school. "These two battles."

Rank 1 Gina vs Rank 2 David.

Rank 3 Cynthia vs Rank 4 Drake.

"Whoa, the best are going to knock each other out right at the start." Ash exclaimed.

"Participating trainers, please make your way to the field your match will be taking on." Nurse Joy said over the intercom which was the signal that the tournament had begun.

"Well guys, this is it." Blake said, pointing toward the corridor that would lead them out in the Battle Arena.

* * *

><p>"Croagunk, let's win this battle!" Brock roared with fire in his eyes, releasing his sole partner Pokemon onto the field to stare at the Feraligatr that stood with the tallish, female Junior on the other side of the field. She possessed some long, silky black hair that flowed down to her mid back and a tan complexion with a pair of diamond earrings. She wore a pair of purple skinny jeans and a black leather jacket which she kept unbuttoned to reveal her black t-shirt underneath.<p>

Brock quickly scanned the stands of the Battle Arena, locating Holly in the mass of students in under a minute. Once he was sure Holly was looking at him, Brock and began to shout and wave.

"Holly, this is for you!" Brock shouted before noticing that she was motioning for him to do something. 'Almost like she wants me to turn...around?'

Brock looked back at the battle field to see the body of his Croagunk quickly approaching his head with a cannon of pressurized water pushing his Pokemon toward him.

'Huh!' Brock exclaimed mentally before his Croagunk hit him, both of them being sent tumbling backward across the floor. After a quick inspection, Croagunk was declared unable to battle. "Noo!"

* * *

><p>"Gallade, use Double Team!" Blake shouted, the arm of the Machoke they were currently battling passing through the copy of Gallade. Behind Machoke, an airborne Gallade landed a horizontal chop to Machoke's neck, forcing the Fighting type Pokemon to stumble away from Gallad while holding its neck.<p>

"Machoke, stay strong and use Cross Chop!" Machoke took a moment to pop its neck before rushing at Gallade, its forearms becoming silver in color.

"Gallade, counter with Leaf Blade." Blake ordered, getting a nod from his partner who's elbow's extended. Gallade disappeared when Machoke hit it with its Cross Chop attack, surprising the Pokemon before it noticed Gallade to its left.

Machoke whipped its arm out at Gallade, the Psychic Pokemon disappearing again.

"Attack!" Blake shouted. Gallade appeared in front of Machoke, landing a quick high kick to the Pokemon's face, forcing it back a step before thrusting both its arms forward toward Machoke's torso which sent the muscular Pokemon flying.

"Machoke!" The Superpower Pokemon hit the ground with a thud on its back, both its eyes morphing into black swirls to signify that it couldn't battle anymore.

"Nice job Gallade." Blake said to his Pokemon who returned his thanks with a simple nod.

* * *

><p>"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash shouted, pointing at the weakened Persian. The Electric Mouse Pokemon rushed toward the feline, its staircase like tail becoming a bright white.<p>

"Persian, Night Slash!" The Classy Cat Pokemon rushed toward Pikachu, extending its claws from its front paws, all six silver claws becoming a solid black color. Pikachu jumped as it neared Persian, preforming a forward somersault so that its tail would meet with Persian's head.

The feline jumped at Pikachu, swiping at it with its claws. Piakchu's tail meet with Persian's claws with a bright flash of light that only lasted a split second before the results of the clash became evident.

"Persian!" The Cat Pokemon's trainer shouted as it was sent to the ground, rolling multiple times before it came to halt, its eyes replaced with two black swirls.

"Yeah Pikachu!" Ash shouted, grabbing his Pokemon in a hug for its easy victory.

* * *

><p>"Heh, Typhlosion use Lava Plume!" Jimmy shouted.<p>

"Typhlo!" The Fire Pokemon roared as the flames around its neck became a deep scarlet color. From there, it fired a vortex of red flames at the cactus like Pokemon known as Cacturne.

"Cacturne, use Faint Attack to dodge." Cacturne disappeared just before it was engulfed by the flames of Lava Plume, reappearing a few feet to the right of the attack where it began to sprint toward Typhlosion.

Typhlosion fired multiple Lava Plume's at Caturne but it continued to evade its attack just before it was hit, appearing just a foot or two to the right of the attack.

"Typhlosion, block off its path by spreading the flames all over the field!" Jimmy commanded. In just a few seconds, Typhlosion cut of Caturne's path with a wall of flames, preventing the Grass/Dark type Pokemon from advance any further. "Now use Blast Burn to finish this."

Cacturne's view of Typhlosion was completely blocked by the wall of flames which prevented it from seeing Typholosion charge up a condensed sphere of fire which it fired at Cacturne through the wall of flames.

"Cacture!" Its trainer screamed as it came into contact with the Blast Burn, Cacturne disappearing inside a raging inferno of flames. Eventually the flames died down, revealing the completely charred body of Cacturne who also possessed a pair of black swirls for eyes.

"That was awesome Typhlosion!" Jimmy shouted, cheering for his Pokemon who turned back at him to give him a thumbs up.

* * *

><p>"Well Paul, it seems like I have the upper hand at the moment!" Drew shouted proudly as his Roserade held down Paul's Weavile using Grass Knot.<p>

Paul was a bit irritated that Drew had spent the entire battle waiting for one chance to put his Weavile in the trap it was currently locked in, a Sunny Day attack in effect which reduced the damage of all its Ice type moves.

"No reply?" Drew asked tauntingly before shrugging. "Roserade, end this with Solar Beam!"

With the Sunny Day active, Roserade's Solar Beam attack charged up fifty percent faster, the attack being fully prepared for use in under ten seconds.

"Go!" Drew shouted, his Grass Pokemon firing a large white beam of light at Weavile, the Dark/Ice Pokemon disappearing inside the beam. Paul waited in silence as the Solar Beam ended, revealing an empty area where Weavile should've been if it was hit. "What!"

"Weavile, Ice Beam!" Paul shouted. Drew and Roserade looked up at the same time, spotting Weavile who was high in the air over the battle field, even higher than orb of light that was source of Sunny Day, charging a sphere of cyan colored energy in between its hands.

"Wii!" It shouted, thrusting the orb forward which caused it to extend toward the sphere of light in three separate lines that moved in a zig zag formation as it move. The weakened Ice Beam broke through the sphere, ending the Sunny Day which allowed the Ice type attack to return its full strength as it rushed toward its second target. Roserade.

"Roserade, dodge it!" Drew shouted.

Roserade jumped, but just as its feet left the ground, the Ice Beam hit Roserade's left leg, creating a sheet of ice that extended to the ground, holding Roserade down to the ground. Weavile landed on the ground, a smirk on its face as it stared at the struggling Roserade.

"End it with X-Scissor." Paul commanded. Weavile burst forward, surprising Drew with its new level of speed as it raced across the field toward Roserade, covering over a hundred yards in six seconds.

'Damn you Paul! You purposely had Weavile move slower than it normally could so that I'd think it was slower than it actually is, and I fell for it.' Drew cursed at himself as Weavile passed Roserade, swinging both its arms only once.

The ice locking Roserade to the ground shattered as it realized it was hit over a dozen times. Roserade fell to the ground, black swirls for eyes.

"Excellent Weavile." Paul said to his Pokemon, getting a nod and an embarrassed smirk from it.

"Damn it Paul!" Drew shouted as he returned Roserade to its Poke-ball. "I'll get you next year!"

Paul simply smirked, not his usual smirk to go with one of his smart mouthed comments, but a smirk of excitement since Drew had given him a quite a good battle. Now that their battle had come to a close, both Paul and Drew joined the crowd of trainers that were watching one of the two last battles that were taking place.

Gina vs David on Field 22. A Shiftry and an Alakazam stood on the field in silence, waiting for the other to make the first move of the battle.

Cynthia vs Drake on Field 57. A Garchomp and a Dragonite met with a blast of wind, both of them engaging each other in another battle of power, trying to determine who was stronger than the other.

* * *

><p><strong>The Schoolwide Tournament begins with a battle between the top 4 Trainers of the Tsuji Academy. Ash, Paul, Jimmy and Blake advance through the first round.<strong>


	5. The Schoolwide Tournament Pt 2

**Revised.**

* * *

><p>Part 5<p>

**November 10th – Late Morning**

**Battle Arena**

The last two battles of the first round for the Schoolwide Tournament had been taking place for over two hours now, and even though the length of the battle was beginning to turn people away, the level of skill kept them glued to the battles.

"Garchomp, use Dragon Claw!" The blonde hair junior known as Cynthia shouted. She was clad in a pair of black skinny jeans, a plain white t-shirt that hugged her frame and a black over coat. Her long blonde bangs covered her left eye while a black hair clip held it up from blocking her right eye as well.

"Dragonite, counter with Brick Break!" The black haired sophomore named Drake ordered. He wore a white captain's hat on his head along with a large over coat that was torn apart at the bottom along with a pair of fluffy blue sweatpants and a pair of black boots. He was lacking a shirt, but this was ignored by many people who admired how well built his torso was for a sixteen year old boy.

The two large Dragon type Pokemon met in another close range exchange of blows, blocking the others attack with returning with an attack of their own.

Garchomp jumped back from Dragonite who had thrown a wide uppercut to force it back.

"Go Dragonite!" Drake shouted.

Dragonite burst forward, throwing a direct punch aimed for Garchomp's head, but to its surprise, Garchomp swayed to the left, avoiding the attack. Garchomp used this opportunity to land a clean hit to Dragonite's face using its right claw.

Garchomp smirked, thinking it had gained the upper hand before its head was sent was sent skyward by a full power uppercut from Dragonite who refused to allow Garchomp to capitalize on this chance.

"Garchomp, jump back and use Dragon Pulse!" Cynthia shouted, realizing that neither of the Dragon types would accept losing this exchange of blows to the other.

"Dragonite, use Heat Wave!" Drake ordered.

Both Dragonite and Garchomp roared, gathering energy in their mouths before firing their separate attacks. Exiting Dragonite's mouth was blazing hot air that was colored in a deep orange while Garchomp was releasing a dark purple fury of crescent shaped pulses.

The two attacks met with a blast of purple and orange light, attracting the attention of much of the crowd. After at least the full minute, the stalemate between the two attacks hadn't been broken, telling Cynthia and Drake it was time to change their tactics.

"Garchomp, use Earth Power!" Garchomp cut of its attack before roaring, the battle field beginning to shake around Dragonite.

"Dragonite, get into the air! Now!"

Dragonite flapped its wings before taking off, kicking up a cloud of dust. As Dragonite gained some altitude, a burst of flames erupted from the ground where it was previously located, rushing toward the ascending Dragonite.

"Look out!" Drake shouted, but Dragonite took a glancing hit from the flames.

"Garchomp, use Giga Impact!"

Garchomp burst forward, spreading both its wings as it took off toward Dragonite who was trying to stabilize itself in the air, completely ignoring everything that was happening around it. A light purple funnel formed around Garchomp as it raced toward Dragonite.

"Dragonite, pattern 7!" Drake said suddenly since he was sure that hit from Giga Impact would be devastating for the rest of the battle.

Dragonite suddenly closed in both its wings, beginning to drop toward the approaching Garchomp before it began to spin. Just before the two met, the opposing spins on both Pokemon forced them apart, allowing Dragonite to successfully dodge the attack before it spread its wings again.

'Oh no.' Cynthia exclaimed mentally when she realized what happened in the split second. Garchomp fell to the ground, landing on both its feet looking completely fine, but Cynthia could tell that her partner was completely frozen and glued to where it was standing from the energy lost to use Giga Impact.

"Dragonite, use Dragon Rush." Drake said, refusing to give up this huge chance where Garchomp had no chance of dodging this attack.

Dragonite landed on the ground, a blue aura forming around it as it roared, reading its attack.

'Damn it, I should've used Dragon Rush but I thought that Dragonite had no way of dodging the attack.' Cynthia said to herself since she knew Garchomp was going to have to take the first real hit of the match.

Garchomp let out a grunt as Dragonite rammed itself into its stomach, sending it sliding across the ground from the super effective hit.

"Yeah!" Drake shouted.

* * *

><p>"Shiftry, use X-Scissors!" Gina shouted.<p>

"Alakazam, Dynamic Punch!" David, the strongest sophomore of the Tsuji Academy yelled. He was sixteen year old boy of average height with fair skin and messy brown hair. He was another rising star in the Tsugi Academy, arriving on the island in the middle of September where he quickly took a spot in the Top 10.

The two Pokemon engaged each other in a close range exchange of attacks, dodging the others attacks with expert skill before returning with their own attack.

'Come on Alakazam.' David said mentally, watching his partner duck below a horizontal swing from Shiftry before throwing a low hook toward Shiftry's body, both its fists glowing in a bright yellow color.

Shiftry took a small jump back, avoiding the hook before it jumped back into Alakazam's space, attacking with a chop. Alakazam intercepted the chop with his right forearm before landing a swift blow to Shiftry's stomach, surprising the Pokemon.

Shiftry hunched over, taking a step back which gave Alakazam the chance to land a wide uppercut which sent sailing into the air.

"Shiftry!" Gina shouted.

"Get it with Signal Beam!" David commanded.

"Ala-kazam!" The Psychic type Pokemon said as it pressed the spoons it held together, a dark yellow specks of lights beginning to gather around the spoons.

Alakazam thrusted the spoons forward, firing a dark yellow beam at the airborne Shiftry.

"Shiftry, use Dark Pulse." Gina said as he Shiftry turned right side up in the air, a black sphere forming in between its makeshift hands which it fired at the approaching Signal Beam.

The two attacks met, the Signal Beam easily overpowering the Dark Pulse, but it bought Shiftry enough time to move out of the attacks path, landing on the ground.

"Alakazam, don't let up. Curve the Signal Beam on top of the Dark Pulse." David said, getting a nod from his Pokemon. Alakazam lifted its spoons, the yellow beam arching so that hit the Dark Pulse from above, pushing it downward toward its new target, Shiftry.

"Shiftry, move!" Gina yelled, noticing how David had taken advantage of the attack Shiftry was now longer using.

Shiftry bounded backward, the Signal Beam/Dark Pulse Combo grazing it as it moved back.

'Whoa, that was close.' Gina said, taking a moment to breathe. "Use Double Team."

Shiftry smiled at Alakazam, but everyone became confused on why Shiftry didn't create any copies of itself.

"Go!" Gina pointed at Alazakam, Shiftry beginning to sprint toward the Psychic Pokemon.

"Alakazam just attack with Signal Beam." David ordered, getting a nod from Alakazam who fired another Signal Beam at the approaching Shiftry

The attack went straight through the Shiftry it was aimed at, making the copy disappear as another Shiftry appeared on the field, continuing its advance.

* * *

><p>"I wonder where she learned that from?" Blake asked himself out loud with a smirk before noticing a head of blue hair out of the corner of his eye. 'Hmm.'<p>

Dawn approached Ash from behind, trying to get his attention which proved to be futile since the teenage boy was completely absorbed in the battle between Gina and David.

"Haaa…" Dawn exhaled at her inability to get Ash's attention.

"Would you like some help?" Blake asked, surprising Dawn.

"Umm, sure. Go ahead." Dawn said, taking a step back from Ash to give Blake some room.

"Oh, my, gosh. Is that a giant cheese pizza with stuffed crusts and extra pepperoni?" Blake exclaimed out loud.

"Where!" Ash screamed, turning around with his mouth open, a napkin tucked in his shirt collar and a knife and fork in his hands.

"What the hell? Where did you get all that stuff from?" Blake asked, instantly taking note of the eating utensils Ash pulled out from seemingly nowhere.

"I keep it incase of emergencies." Ash said sheepishly, causing Dawn to attempt to hold back a giggle which she failed to do.

"You keep emergency eating supplies." Paul said in a monotone at Ash's ridiculous habit, joining the group.

"Yeah, is there something wrong with that?" Ash asked, carefully rolling up his knife and fork in the napkin before putting it away.

"There's so many things I want to say right now." Paul mumbled to himself, getting a snicker from Paul before Ash noticed Dawn's presence.

"Dawn, what are you doing down here?" Ash asked, turning to the girl. Paul and Blake palmed their foreheads since there was only one reason why she was down here.

"She entered the tournament. She couldn't be down here if she didn't." Paul said before walking away, trying to make sure he didn't catch a case of stupid.

"Hey Paul, wait up." Blake said, waving to Dawn and Ash before rushing after Paul who disappeared into the crowd of students surrounding the battlefield Gina and David were battling on.

"I just came to say that was good battle you had Ash." Dawn stated, surprising Ash.

"You think so?" Ash asked, receiving a nod from her. "Thanks Dawn, that means a lot coming from you."

Ash, being the taller one of the pair, ruffled Dawn's hair, something he had started doing when he was reunited with her during his sophomore year. Dawn blushed as Ash gave her a cheesy grin and thumbs up before a loud roar from the battle field gained their attention.

Alakazam held its side where it had taken a solid from Shiftry who had been using X-Scissors, the attack being super effective against Psychic type Pokemon. The images surround Alakazam disappeared revealing the real Shiftry that had been using Double Team.

"Shiftry, don't let up, finish it." Gina said, now that they had finally taken back the pace. Shiftry was a bit bruised from the hits it had taken while Alakazam was in control of the pace, but now Alakazam was on the receiving end.

Shiftry kneed Alakazam in the head while it was still looking down at the floor, forcing it to look up where it met with a wide swipe from Shiftry using X-Scissors to its neck.

"Alakazam!" David yelled as his Pokemon remained completely still for a moment before falling backward, hitting the ground with a thud.

Everything was quiet for a moment before David realized Alakazam hadn't given up yet since its eyes hadn't changed yet.

"Shiftry, it's still awake." Gina said. "Straighten it up with Grass Knot."

Several blades of grass sprouted up from the field around Alakazam, lifting it up so that it was standing up straight on its feet, the wall of tall grass blades behind it holding the Psychic type Pokemon.

"Use Solar Beam." Gina said.

A bright, white ball of energy formed in front of Shiftry, taking nearly thirty seconds to charge while Alakazam remained where it was, entangled in the Grass Knot. Shiftry fired the Solar Beam.

"Alakazam, use Psychic!" David shouted as their last resort.

Alakazam grunted before a shield of Psychic energy formed in front of it in a desperate attempt to block the attack. The Psi Pokemon disappeared inside the beam of light, its final defense holding up for only three seconds before it shattered, allowing Alakazam to be hit by the full force of the attack.

"Alakazam! Noo!" David shouted.

After fifteen seconds, the Solar Beam attack died down. The crowd gasped as the light faded, revealing the bruised, blackened Alakazam who was still standing on both its feet, the Grass Knot attack that was previously holding it completely incinerated from the Solar Beam.

Its eyes were black, not swirls but just black which meant Alakazam still hadn't fainted.

"Alakazam…" David said, noticing Alakazam's arms visibly tremble as it tried to raise them and prove that it could continue.

'Whoa…' Gina said mentally, impressed with Alakazam's will to continue. 'I can't tell if it's down or not.'

"Alakazam, it's alright. You don't need to keep going, you've already proven yourself." David called out to his Pokemon.

The trembling stopped, making Alakazam seem like it was completely frozen before its hands that were clenched into tight fists opened, dropping both its spoons.

'Nice job Alakazam.' David said mentally.

Alakazam began to lean backward, collapsing to the ground with a thud which ended the battle between Gina and David with Gina and her Shiftry as the winners.

* * *

><p>"Garchomp, use Giga Impact."<p>

"Dragonite, use Dragon Rush!"

The two Dragon type Pokemon that were covered in heavy burns, deep scratches and large bruises burst forward, Dragonite becoming enveloped in a blue aura while Garchomp became surrounded in a purple funnel of energy.

"Go!" Their trainers shouted as they hit each other at full force, sending an energy wave out in all directions, breaking apart the field before Dragonite was sent reeling from the attack.

The crowd was in awe as the energy wave disappeared, leaving the bruised covered Garchomp to be the last one standing.

"Dragonite!" Drake shouted in disbelief that his partner had lost in a power duel, the battle reaching its climax.

"Raa…" It said, struggling back to its feet, surprising the crowd once again.

'Damn it, I was hoping to finish it while with Giga Impact, now Garchomp is completely open.' Cynthia said to herself, hoping Drake's Dragonite would take its sweet time in preparing another attack.

"Dragonite, Garchomp is completely open, get it with Dragon Rush!"

"Raah!" Dragonite roared before it became surrounded it the blue aura once again, preparing to attack.

'This is it, Garchomp can't do a thing against this attack, we lost.' Cynthia said mentally, watching Dragonite begin to charge toward he beloved partner who had fought to the very end against a strong opponent.

As Dragonite neared Garchomp, the blue aura began to flicker rapidly before disappearing completely against Dragonite's will.

'Oh no.' Drake said as Dragonite simply tackled Garchomp, causing a little damage to the Pokemon but not enough to end the battle.

"It's out of gas, Garchomp, use Dragon Claw!" Cynthia shouted when she realized that Dragonite had no more strength to continue battling. Garchomp roared before raising its right claw, the single gray claw becoming covered in a purple aura that extended an extra five inches.

With that, Garchomp dropped its hand down onto Dragonite's head, smashing the Pokemon to the ground which effectively ended the battle between the two Dragon type Pokemon with Garchomp as the winner.

The juniors in the stands burst into cheers in the stands as well as down in the battle field for their victories over the best sophomores, Cynthia raising her right arm in triumph while Gina climbed onto her field to congratulate her on her victory.

The sophomores down on the battlefields remained silent, following Drake and David who left the Battle Arena in silence.

* * *

><p>"I really thought that Drake had win the battle." Jimmy stated in disbelief. "His Dragonite ran out of stamina just a few seconds to early."<p>

"I know, it sucks. But those two battles were amazing." Ash commented.

"I must admit, they were excellent as far as battles go." Dawn added, getting a nod from Ash.

"But you know what's going to come with this right?" Blake asked, getting a clueless expression from everyone but Jimmy. "If you take a close look at it, both David and Drake lost to Gina and Cynthia."

"Yeah Blake, we just watched both of them lose their battles." Ash said, getting a sigh from Blake.

"Both David and Drake, the sophomores, lost to Gina and Cynthia, the juniors." Blake repeated for them.

"We know that they're juniors and sophomores Blake." Ash cut in once again. "And you call me stupid."

"Says the guy who keeps a knife, fork and napkin with him at all times." Paul interjected while rolling his eyes, getting a glare from Ash.

"Are you making fun of me Paul?" Ash asked, raising a fist at him.

"And what if I am?" Paul asked in return.

"Well then you and I are going to have to settle something after school today." Ash replied, cracking his knuckles.

"We don't have school today."

"Guys, you're getting way of topic." Dawn jumped in, putting the conversation back where it should be. "Continue Blake."

"Thank you Dawn." Blake said. "So as I was saying, the sophomores lost to the juniors."

"And they're not going to take that lying down. I can guarantee you the sophomores are going to strike back." Jimmy said. "But when is the question."

**November 10th – Lunch**

**Tsuji Pokemon Center**

The usually unused Pokemon Center cafeteria was now packed with nearly everyone student of the Tsuji Academy since school was closed for the Tournament, meaning everyone had to get lunch from the Pokemon Center unless they planned on starving until dinner.

The atmosphere of the large room was odd since on one side was the juniors who were loud and happy for their wins over the sophomores, but on the other side the room the mood was gloomy and dark as the sophomores directed their glares at the juniors who were completely immune to it.

Even the freshmen and seniors could feel the weird atmosphere, but none of them planned on doing anything about it.

"This mood is so conflicted." Brock stated, taking a seat at the lunch table where his friends were seated.

"I thought I was only one who felt that." Dawn said.

"Would you guys like to do something about it?" Blake asked, getting a questioning glance form everyone at the table.

"What do mean?" Ash asked, taking note of Blake's facial expressions which hardened as he took a toothpick from his lunch tray and placed it in his mouth.

"Just follow my lead if the guts to." Blake said, rising from his table, taking his lunch tray with him.

"Oh boy, here we go again." Jimmy said with a small smile, watching Blake stroll over to a table of sophomores where David and Drake were sitting.

"What do you want freshman?" One of the sophomores asked, Blake ignoring them as he jumped up onto their table, getting the attention of all the entire cafeteria. Blake stopped once he was standing in front of Drake and David, the two of the only giving him a dark look.

"Well if it isn't the losers David and Drake." Blake said with a sneer at the duo, silencing the cafeteria. "How does it feel to know that a freshmen is doing better than the top two sophomores?"

"Back off freshman." Drake hissed at him, causing Blake to kneel down in front of him.

The juniors held back their laughs as Blake scooped up some of the mashed potatoes from his tray and smeared it down the right side of Drake's face. Drake stared at Blake with wide eyes as he withdrew his hand before landing a backhand to Drake's other cheek.

"Yeah freshmen!" Some of the juniors yelled as David retaliated.

Blake caught David's right hand, surprising the boy before Blake took a solid hit from a very angry Drake to his face which sent him tumbling off the table.

"Freshmen…" Drake hissed as he jumped over the table, both his fists clenched as he glared at Blake, but the mashed potatoes covering the right side of his face only made Blake laugh instead of get serious.

"This isn't going to end well." Paul said, rising from his seat when he noticed the table of sophomores rise from their seats, surrounding Blake in an instant.

"What's so funny freshmen?" One of them asked.

"All of you." Blake said, regaining his composure. "You're all irritated that the juniors are much stronger than you and the fact that you can't beat them. But what do you do to vent some of that anger? You pick on those who you know you're stronger than."

There was silence for a few moments, Blake waiting for the next line to be said.

"So what?" David asked with a snort. "It's not like anyone is going to stop us."

"No." A freshman began, breaking the silence that had set in. "If you guys are going to pick fights, expect use to fight back in groups."

"Yeah, you guys are nothing but bullies and sore losers. Just because your confidence is being torn apart by someone who's better than you doesn't mean you have to tear down other people with you." Dawn said, standing up along with a group of freshmen that walked over to the sophomores surrounding Blake, breaking the circle around him.

Numerous glares were directed at Dawn who was now leading the freshmen along with Blake, a line of students from the two grade levels having a stare down.

"I'm almost ashamed to be in the same grade as you guys." Dawn said, taking a step toward the sophomores. "Your nothing but cowards!"

Dawn received a backhand from David once he recognized her which sent her stumbling backward into Blake who caught her, surprise evident on his face.

'This is new.' Blake said mentally, as Dawn regained her composure, covering her busted lip while straightening up so that she could stand without needing Blake for support.

"You're in the same grade as us yet you're against us?" A sophomore said before he spat at Dawn who returned his glare.

"You..." David muttered in a whisper before he raised his voice. "Our problem is the juniors, but if you freshmen or anyone else want to make a nuisance out of yourself, expect no mercy."

David found himself on the floor, the right side of his jaw throbbing in pain as an angry Ash glared down at him, his left arm extended outward.

"What the hell are you doing?" David shouted at Ash before his blood froze when his eye's met with Ash's. It was almost like Ash's pupils were dilated, his breathing gruff and shallow with his fist clenched tightly, ready to be thrown again.

"Everything she just said about you is right. You are nothing but a coward if you hit a girl and expect nothing to happen to you." Ash hissed at him before he attempted to jump at David again, only to feel Paul grabbed both his arms from behind, holding him back. "Let me go Paul! I have to teach this dumbass what happens when you mess with one of my best friends."

"No Ash, it's not worth it if you get into trouble for fighting someone." Paul said, struggling to hold back Ash who was beginning to pull him forward toward David. David rose to his feet, the thought of leaving crossing his mind, but then he realized that nearly the entire school was watching and he couldn't look like a wuss.

"He hit Dawn." Ash said with venom, glaring at Paul. "That one hit needs to be returned ten fold, and the way I see it, he still has nine hits to go."

"Ash!" Dawn shouted, causing the boy to freeze.

"Dawn? Are you okay?" He asked, turning to the girl who nodded to him.

"Let me handle this." Dawn said, brushing past him.

"You again? What are you going to do this time?" David asked, trying to show some backbone before feeling Dawn's right shin connect with his crotch with an audible thud.

The juniors roared with laughter as the sophomore dropped to the ground with a shout of pain, but as Dawn turned around, beginning to walk toward Ash, he noticed all the sophomores suddenly lunge forward.

Dawn screamed as she was roughly pushed to the floor by the raging sophomores, Ash going to overdrive as he tore through the crowd trying to reach Dawn.

"Oh damn." Blake said with a wide smile as joined in on the brawl, pouncing onto the nearest sophomore's back.

The freshmen that had formed a line with Dawn and Blake were pulled into the all out brawl, doing what they could against the sophomores that were somewhat larger than them.

"Dawn!" Ash shouted as he grabbed the back of a sophomores head before pulling them backward to create an opening for Ash to step into.

"Ash!" Dawn screamed when she realized the sophomores had stopped kicking her, all of them focusing on Ash who was now taking blows from all of them.

"This is getting way outta hand!" Brock shouted when he noticed the juniors rising from their seats, beginning to walk toward the fight.

"THAT WILL BE ENOOOUUUGH!" A huge, deep voice shouted, halting everything that was happening in the cafeteria.

The students turned to see Principal Spruce standing in the doorway of the cafeteria, obviously enraged along with Nurse Joy and a few cafeteria ladies who had called him the moment Blake became surrounded by the sophomores.

"All of you should be ashamed of yourselves, return to your dorms before I have you expelled and kicked of this island!"

Spruce was really angry, and everyone could tell he meant business so with their hands in their pockets, the students of the Tsuji Academy filed out of the cafeteria, one thought flying through the mind of nearly every sophomore.

'Even the freshmen are losing respect for us. We need to act, now.'

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, part 5 complete! Read, Review and Enjoy! And if you have anything to say on the battle scene or anything really, I'm open to tips and pointers or if you just have something you'd like to say.<strong>

**I know that Pearlshipping is a bit on the down low at the moment, but trust me, it'll get real soon. As for the rest of the couples, you can see that they're happy right now, but I have a habit of destroying happiness so let's see what happens.**


	6. Fancy Friday Pt 1

**Revised.**

* * *

><p>Part 6<p>

**November 10th - Lunch**

**Nurse's Office**

"Dawn, are you sure you're okay?" Ash asked the girl slowly, double checking to see if the bluenette if she was alright.

"Ash, stay on your bed!" Nurse Joy snapped at him for what had to be eighth time.

"Ash, I think I should be one who's asking you that." Dawn replied, pointing at the raven hair boy who had remain on the small cot in Nurse Joy's office as Chansey went off to retrieve some bandages from the backroom.

Dawn only had a few bruises on her lower torso and a large bruise on the cheek where David had hit her, but she could easily cover this up with make up. After Chansey had done what it could with healing Dawn's wounds, Nurse Joy suggested that she just ice the bruise on her face to make sure it doesn't swell up.

Ash on the other hand, was having his head tightly wrapped in several bandages. During the fight had taken several blows to his forehead while projecting Dawn for that short period of time. Numerous fists from the sophomores were thrown at Ash, although many of these students were also in the Nurse's Office as well for treatment for their fractured fist. Now the sophomores knew never to aim at Ash's head because he could still potentially hurt you without even touching you.

Ash continued to insist that he didn't feel anything, but after Nurse Joy examined it, she had her Chansey use its healing abilities to mend the fracture before it could become something serious.

"Well I'm just making sure Dawn. I don't know what I'd do if I saw you get seriously hurt by those punks." Ash said to her, motioning to the group of sophomores who were being checked out one at a time by Chansey. Many of them glared at him, but Ash seemed to be completely oblivious to their stares.

Dawn blushed, quickly thanking Ash for his help before she made a hasty exit. Her blush only brightened with embarrassment when she walked into the door in her rush to the leave the room, leaving Ash confused. Once she was gone, Ash simply settled on 'it must be a girl thing' which gained a chuckle from Nurse Joy.

"He's just too nice sometimes." Dawn noted once she was outside the room. "But that Ash I saw in the cafeteria was nothing like that Ash I know."

She had never seen Ash so angry before. Malice was practically radiating off his body during those few moments he was threatening David. It was really strange seeing him so angry. In fact it was frightening.

'Ash Ketchum is such an unexplored person.'

**November 11th – Period 1**

**Mr. Blaine's Room**

"Blake, what the heck is that?" Ash asked, glancing up at the boy who had just entered his AP Pokemon Biology Class in some very interesting clothing. Instead of the casual wear, Blake wore a formal outfit that consisted of a black jacket that was left unbuttoned over a white dress shirt and a pair of solid black pants. Despite the fact that he was in suit, Blake still managed to make his clothing appear casual since he left the top two buttons of his shirt undone.

"It's for Fancy Friday." Blake replied, spinning a black fedora on his index finger.

"Wait, I thought you said that was at the end of November." Paul said, receiving a nod from Blake.

"It is. But I had a changes of plans after how everything went down yesterday." Blake went on with a smile. "Something big is going to happen today. I just know it."

Noticing the snickers from the rest of his classmates, Blake looked out the class.

"You guys don't need to be jealous of how good I look, its alright to approach me and tell me if you see fit to do that." Blake called out to everyone in the class in a sarcastic tone. Many of the other students only rolled their eyes which gained a cackle from Blake.

"So are you going on a date or something?" Ash asked, getting a smirk from Blake.

"Yeah, Misty and I going out later today." Blake replied, gaining several 'ooo's' from the rest of the guys in the class.

"What?" Ash exclaimed, jumping at Blake to grab the collar of his shirt.

"Whoa, chill man. I was only joking." Blake said, trying to pry Ash's hand off of his shirt to make sure it didn't wrinkle.

"I knew it was a joke. Misty would never cheat on me." Ash replied indignantly, returning to his seat as Mr. Blaine entered the room now that the bell had rung.

"Alright class, do you know what today is the start of." Blaine asked with a wide smile as he looked out at his class.

"Student teaching lessons." Everyone but Ash replied with a lack of enthusiasm. Time seemed to stop for Ash as he placed both of his hands on his head.

'I completely forgot!' Ash screamed mentally. 'Well as long as I don't get called first, I'll have time to make up something.'

"I hope everyone came prepared today. This will make up a large portion of your grade for this quarter." Blaine continued as he scanned the room, wondering which student he should call up first. His eyes settled on the only person in the class that wasn't making eye contact with him. Ash Ketchum. "Mr. Ketchum, why don't you start us off."

Ash muttered a curse under his breath as he rose from his seat, calling for Pikachu to join him in front of the class. The small electric type Pokemon poked its head out of Ash's backpack that was resting beside his desk, quickly following Ash to the center of the room.

'Let's see, what can I come up with...?' Ash asked himself, scanning the room for a subject that he would try to talk about on the spot. Ash's eyes settled on Pikachu for a moment, and it was as he had been hit by a stroke of genius. 'Just sound natural.'

Ash took a deep breath before he gave the class a warm smile, taking on a profession appearance.

"So, is electricity from a Pokemon ineffective against man-made rubber?'

"Ho ho." Blaine exclaimed as he went to take a seat near the back of the room, giving Ash the stage since he had selected a very interesting topic.

"I see a Pikachu, but where's the rubber?" Blake called out, interrupting Ash who felt a shiver run up his spine at his lack of the most crucial item for this presentation.

"Uh, yeah about that. The only available rubber that I could get was the rubber gloves the lunch ladies us, unfortunately today they're serving sloppy Joe's so they couldn't loan me a pair." Ash said sheepishly, hoping that Blaine would believe his almost believable excuse.

"Sloppy Joe's eh." Blaine paused. "Well I suppose that's understandable."

Crossing the room to reach his desk, Blaine opened up one of the drawers to fetch a pair of gloves for Ash which he tossed to the boy.

"I doubt the composition of these gloves will match those of the lunch ladies, but I'm sure you should still get the same results as your testing." Blaine went on as Ash caught the gloves, giving his teacher a large grin.

"Thanks Mr. Blaine." Ash said happily as he quickly put on the gloves. "So as I was saying, rubber gloves such as the ones I am wearing possess a conductivity level of zero, making it immune to electric type attacks that Pikachu could produce."

The class gave Ash a nod of agreement.

"Or at least, that's what I thought at the beginning of this experiment." Ash went on, reaching down to pick up Pikachu although he soon discovered that the small Pokemon was no longer standing beside him. "Pikachu?"

Ash searched the room along with the students that were actually paying attention to his lecture, eventually finding Pikachu resting on top of a desk, chatting with one of Ash's female classmates. Many of them couldn't help but snicker as Ash did his best not to turn red out of embarrassment.

"Pikachu, front and center." Ash said, calling for Pikachu's attention.

Pikachu scratched the back of his neck before giving the girl peace sign. The electric they proceeded to return to the front of the room where Ash was waiting for it with an expecting look on his face.

"Alright Pikachu, use Thundershock." Ash said after picking up up from the floor.

Pikachu remained silent as it unleashed a small electrical current that created a small yellow halo around its body. The weak electric attack failed to do any damage as the gloves insulated the electricity.

"That's enough Pikachu." Ash said, placing his partner on the floor. "Now feel these gloves."

Ash removed the gloves from his hand and tossed them to his classmates, allowing them to take a moment to feel one of the gloves before passing it on to the next person. All of them could feel the increase in temperature, but Ash remained silent, as if he was waiting for one of them to tell him.

"It's hot." Blake called out, receiving a nod from Ash.

"Correct!" Ash exclaimed. "I haven't quite come up with an answer as to why, but I want to assume that the electricity from a Pokemon causes a chemical reaction in the rubber resulting in it heating up. And that made me wonder what would happen if Pikachu used a stronger electric type attack."

Once the gloves were returned to Ash, he put them back on his hands and reached down to pick up Pikachu, only to find that it had run off once again.

"Pikachu!" Ash snapped, finding the Pokemon talking with a different girl this time. "Get over here."

Pikachu took a bow before it leaped off of the desk it had been standing on, traveling to the front of the room once again while the rest of the class chuckled once again. Ash quickly scooped up the electric type from the floor, hiding the angry mark he had on his forehead.

"Pikachu, use Thunder." Ash said rather quickly, unaware of what he had said until it was too late.

"Duck and cover!" Blaine shouted as Pikachu gathered the electricity it would need for the attack.

"Pika-CHU!"

* * *

><p>Students without classes during period one would normally just hang around the campus, chatting with their friends. But the peaceful morning that these students would normally experience was shattered by a bolt of electricity from one of the windows on the third floor of the Tsugi Academy. Shards of glass rained down to the ground below, fortunately, no students were present at location, but the sound of glass shattering had drawn quick a crowd.<p>

"ASH KETCHUM!" Mr. Blaine roared from his room.

Everyone is Ash's class had gotten to the floor in time with Mr. Blaine, narrowly avoiding being electrocuted, all except for Ash who had been holding Pikachu. The gloves had been wearing had been heated up to a point where it turned into a sloppy goo that slid right of hiss hands, placing second degree burns on his hands while Pikachu fried him thoroughly.

Ash remained silent, although his grip on Pikachu loosened up enough for the Pokemon to fall out of his hands. His hair was frizzy mess, and his skin was charred, matching the color of his blackened clothing.

"That was freakin' awesome!" Ash's classmates exclaimed, applauding for the raven haired boy who didn't even respond to their cheers. Instead, he just coughed, producing a cloud of black smoke before he crumbled to the ground

**Nurse's Office**

"Wait, he was in here yesterday for a fractured skull." Nurse Joy noted as Paul and Blake carefully placed Ash on one of the cots in her office.

"I'll bet he was." Paul mumbled to himself.

"So what happened this time?" She asked as she and Chansey began to observe Ash's skin.

"He was cooked pretty good by his Pikachu, but his hands got some pretty bad burns." Blake explained, lifting up Ash's arm to show the damage done.

"What was he doing to receive burns like these?" Nurse Joy inquired after ordering Chansey to begin treating Ash's hands.

"This genius was demonstrating the effects of electricity from a Pokemon on rubber, but he was wearing the rubber so in the end he got zapped." Paul explained, gaining a sigh from Nurse Joy.

"Alright, thank you boys. He should be fine in about two or three hours."

**Gymnasium – Third Period**

Blake, Dawn, Brock, Paul stood in line with their classmates, performing the warm up procedure under Maylene's supervision before they were allowed to play.

"Alright guys, can you guess what we're going to play today?" Maylene called out with a red rubber kickball in her left hand.

"Umm, kickball?" Brock asked after raising his hand.

"How'd you figure it out?" Maylene asked in return causing everyone to sweat drop.

"Well it would help if you weren't holding a kickball while asking 'can you guess what we're playing today?'" Blake said, mimicking the pitch of her voice while pretending to hold kickball. Unfortunately, his comment went straight over Maylene's head as she took a mental note to remember not to hold the kickball when she was trying to surprise the class.

"Anyway, let's get started. Team captains will be Brock and..." Maylene glanced around at her class, searching for another senior. "Holly."

"Yeah!" Brock shouted as a fiery background appeared behind him to match the new determination that was in his eyes.

"What's up with Brock?" Blake asked, turning to Dawn.

"Brock's amazing at kickball. And since he's team captain, I pretty sure he'll be trying to impress Holly with his skill." Dawn explained with a chuckle.

Once the teams had been selected, Maylene declared that Holly's team would be kicking first.

Holly, being the captain of her team, would be kicking first.

"Alright, team captains will be Brock and…Holly." Maylene said, pointing to the two seniors.

"Yeah!" Brock shouted with fire in his eyes.

"What's up with Brock?" Blake asked, turning to Dawn.

"Brock's amazing at kickball, and with him being captain, I think his goal is to impress Holly with his skill." Dawn explained.

After Brock and Holly picked their teams, Maylene said Holly's team would be kicking first while Brock was pitching for his team. Holly was a rather tall girl for her age with reddish brown hair that fell down to her mid back, although it was pulled back into a ponytail at this moment in time.

Brock gave the ball a solid roll straight down to home plate where Holly was waiting. Waiting a moment or two, Holly then made a small dash toward the ball where she smashed it with her right foot which sent it sailing toward third base where the two players on Brock's team were already distracted. But to everyone's surprise, Brock intercepted Holly's kick with one large leap, snatching the ball out of the air with one hand.

"You're out!" Maylene shouted as Brock landed on the ground.

"Damn." Blake stated, impressed with Brock athleticism.

"See what I mean?" Dawn asked, getting a nod from Blake.

The second an third outs came just as quickly, the second being a high ball to right field where Dawn was waiting, although in the end Blake made the catch after the ball bounced off of Dawn's head. The third was a bunt which Brock had anticipated, allowing the senior to dash in-in time to pick it up an hurl it to the first base for the final out needed.

"No mercy." Blake muttered as Maylene blew her whistle.

"Alright, change sides!" She shouted.

Brock stood at home plate, stretching a bit to warm up before Holly pitched.

"Any day now Brock!" Dawn called out at the team captain which started a myriad of shouts from all the players.

"Sorry." Brock said sheepishly before looking toward the pitcher, motioning for Holly to roll the ball to him. As the ball neared him, Brock became surrounded with a fiery aura before he smashed his foot into the ball. "To the moon!"

There was a loud bang followed by a shriek from Holly as she fell backward. Her face was red from a football imprint on her face.

"Holly!" Brock shouted frantically when he realized that he had sent the ball straight back to her, hitting her directly on the face. "I didn't mean to do that."

And to top it all off.

"You're out!" Maylene shouted at Brock. After the ball hit Holly's face, it turned out to be an easy catch for Paul.

"Boy, Brock never seems to get a break." Dawn commented as Holly slowly rose up. Instead of rushing to assist her, Brock couldn't face her an ran off to a corner to sulk while another student accompanied Holly to the Nurse's Office.

The game went on until the end of the period in a back and forth battle for the lead. The first game of the kickball season end with a score of six to four. Brock's team had taken the first win, although Holly's team continued to protest saying that they only lost because their captain had been knocked out of the game.

**Cafeteria – Lunch**

"That game of kickball was pretty good." Blake said contently as he took at seat the lunch table the group normally sits up, back in his Fancy Friday outfit.

"That's easy for you to say." Brock mumbled as he flopped his head down onto the table. Dawn gave Brock a smile while placing hand on his back, doing her best to comfort him over his most recent blunder with Holly.

"Hey guys." Ash called out as he neared the table, taking a seat next to Dawn with a meal and a half on his tray. While carrying the tray was pretty easy for Ash with the condition of his hands, eating proved to be difficult. His hands were tightly bound in white bandages that prevented him from even holding a fork properly.

Lifting up the fork with both of his hands, Ash beamed with delight before it slipped out of his grip, bouncing off the table before it dropped to the floor. Ash's smile became a frown, getting a giggle from Dawn.

"Need some help Ash?" Dawn offered. Ash turned red with embarrassment before giving her a nod.

"Wait, why does Ash even have a fork if he's eating a sloppy joe?" Brock asked suddenly. Everyone gave Ash and odd look, wondering how he would use a fork to eat such a thick sandwich.

"Well I figured I would be able to pick the whole thing up with a fork and eat it." Ash replied sheepishly as he recalled the original image he had in mind when he picked up three forks on the lunch line. Everyone deadpanned as they understood what Ash had in mind.

"Ash, that would never work." Paul muttered as Dawn proceeded to cut Ash's sloppy joe into smaller portions before she fed him.

"I never thought I would see the day when Ash Ketchum would be eating at the pace of a normal human being." Drew said out loud as he and May approached their table of friends. Ash turned around to give Drew a witty response, although his mouth was full at the moment resulting in nothing but garbled English coming out in return.

"Well isn't that cute." May noted as she observed Dawn and Ash with a wide smile. Dawn blushed while May's comments went right over Ash's head. May only laughed as Ash turned to Dawn, asking her what May was talking about before she caught sight of Blake. "Hey Blake, did you proofread the paper for Ms. Jasmine?"

"Oh, yeah I did. You can drop by my room later this evening to pick it up." Blake replied.

"Hey' what's the paper on?" Drew asked, gaining a smirk from Blake.

"The title is, 'Is electricity from a Pokemon ineffective against man-made rubber?'" Blake responded, gaining a snort from Paul.

"That's not what my paper is about." May protested.

"Then what's he talking about." Dawn inquired.

"We don't need to relive this again, do we?" Ash pleaded with Blake and Paul who only gave him dark smiles.

Paul called for everyone's attention, telling the tale of Ash's lesson in Biology class earlier today that resulted in his absence until lunch hour.

Drew and Brock burst into a fit of hysterical laughter that drew some unnecessary attention from the surrounding tables while Dawn and May were struggling to hold back their giggles.

"It's not that funny guys." Ash said with an indignant pout.

"And to make it worse, after Ash passed out Pikachu kept on flirting with the rest of the girls." Blake added. Dawn and May couldn't hold in there laughs anymore.

The aimless chatting went on for a few more minutes before Blake looked at the time using one of the wall clocks.

"Aww crap, I gotta run guys." Blake said as he quickly slid his tray down to Ash and Dawn, gaining a cheer from the raven haired boy as he saw that Blake's meal was untouched. "And May, I'll leave the door to my room unlocked since I won't be back in time. Your paper should be at the top of my desk."

"Alright, thanks Blake." May said, waving to the boy as he rushed off.

**November 11th – Evening**

**Freshman Dorms**

**Blake's Room**

May quietly entered Blake's room, expecting to find an the strangest room on campus, but instead she found a plain dorm room filled necessities for each student.

His bed in the far corner, his desk opposite it and a bookshelf next to it that held dozens of notebooks on it. Approaching his desk, May found that it also had numerous notebooks on it that were filled with Blake's illegible writing. Noticing the top of a paper with her name on it, May gave it a quick tug to pull it out from the pile. May the smiled as she confirmed that this was the paper she wanted Blake to read over for her.

Hearing a soft clap on the floor, May took note of the notebook that had fallen off of the desk when she pulled out of her paper. The notebook had fallen open to a particular page where May could see that her name, Drew's, Jimmy's and Marina's were all written several times throughout each page. Taking a few moments to try and decipher what was written before she heard three voices in the corridor. Two male and one female.

"Hey Madison, did you finish that project for Professor Birch?" One of the male voices asked.

"Yeah Geoffrey, I finished it. But it took me like three all-nighters to finish." The female replied.

"The only reason it took you so long because you waited until the week it was due to start it." Another male voice mumbled.

"Shut up Marcus." Madison said as the group passed in front of Blake's room, everyone halting their foot steps when they spotted May. All three of them were freshman.

"Aren't you a junior?" Madison asked as May bit her tongue since she almost responded.

'There's no telling what they'll do if I say I'm a junior.' May said mentally as she shook her head left to right, telling them no.

"No, you're definitely a junior. Umm…May Maple, the Contest Queen for the juniors." Marcus said as May's blood went cold.

"So you are a juniors." Madison said before pointing at May. "Get her!"

**Sophomore Dorms**

**Roof**

Blake cackled quietly to himself, looking through a pair of binoculars into his room where he could see May being thrown against the window.

'Alright, time to move.' Blake said mentally as he tossed the binoculars off the roof before using the staircase on the roof to enter the sophomore dorms.

Once he found his way to the lounge, Blake burst into the room getting everyone's attention while shouting.

"There's a sophomore being attacked in the freshman dorms!" Blake began bursting into the large sophomore lounge, silencing all the chatter in the room.

"What?" Murmurs went around the room.

'What are you doing this time Blake?' Jimmy and Marina asked themselves mentally when they noticed their friend calling out to the sophomores.

"I'm a freshman myself, I saw it with my own two eyes. His name is David. He's got into a fight with a few freshman and he's getting the crap kicked out of him." Blake went on.

It was a fact that surrounded the Tsugi Top 10. Since the Ranks were mixed into each grade level, the students looked toward their peers that were the Top 10 as a representative of their grade. They became possessive over the Ranks that belonged to each grade level, and if something ever happened to their representatives, the students became fierce.

The sophomores stopped everything they were doing, the room becoming deathly silent.

All of the sophomores began to charge out of the room. Their destination was the freshman dorms.

The sophomore lounge was empty in under a minute, leaving Blake alone. Or at least he thought he was.

"What are you up to Blake?" Jimmy asked, approaching his friend who had been cackling to himself.

"Oh, its nothing to worry about at this point in time." Blake replied with a crooked smile as turned around, realizing that it was both Jimmy and Marina behind him. "Although, I do need you guys to do something for me."

"What could that be?" Jimmy muttered while Marina looked on with slight interest.

"Your dear friend May had an encounter with a few freshman just a few minutes ago. It would be much appreciated if the two of you could go and check on her." Blake explained.

"Where is she?" Marina asked while Jimmy appeared to be deep in thought.

"The freshman dorms. My room." Blake replied before Jimmy cursed under his breath, getting the attention of both of them.

"We need to move now Marina!" Jimmy said, taking his girlfriend by the wrist to lead her out of the lounge.

"Heh heh, well, let's see how Fancy Friday plays out." Blake said to himself, ending his sentence with a cackle. Blake then tipped his fedora forward, placing on hand in his pocket while tapping the ground with his plastic cane, a crooked smile on his face.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6. So now we've got the ball rolling plot wise. This is just a start to what I'm thinking of, so please tell me what you think so far. Give me some feedback. Anything! All of it is much appreciated, especially if you point out something for me to work on.<strong>

**R & R for now!**


	7. Fancy Friday Pt 2

Part 7

**Freshman Dorms**

"I've had enough of this. Those freshman have really crossed the line this time!" Drake roared, getting a chorus of responses from his fellow enraged sophomores. "We'll make them think again."

"Yeah!" They all shouted together, moving toward the dorms belonging to newest students of the Tsugi Academy.

The first order of business was find David. Then punish the freshman that are clearly out of their mind.

The sophomores were clearly ready to release all the tension that had been building up since the day in the Pokemon center, and now the freshman had the nerve to go as far as to attack David. This alone was more than enough reason to go headhunting. Bursting into the lobby of the freshman dorms, the sophomores took out their Poke-balls, prepared to attack anyone with their Pokemon and/or fists.

* * *

><p>"May!" Jimmy and Marina exclaimed as they burst into Blake's room, discovering that room appeared as though it was ransacked by a group of wild Pokemon. The couple quickly spotted their unconscious friend resting in the corner of the room in torn, tattered clothing that had previously been the casual outfit she had been wearing earlier today. Marina rushed over to the brunette to begin examining her, checking to see if the girl was alright.<p>

The deathly silence in the room was something that both Marina and Jimmy ignored with ease. Marina was far more focused on checking May, and Jimmy was swimming in his own thoughts as he put together the pieces of this puzzle.

It was just as Jimmy had feared. Nothing had happened to David, it was something Blake had declared to rile up the sophomores while the real target of Fancy Friday was May Maple, a junior. But Jimmy still couldn't see where all of this added up. Nothing made any sense so far.

"Jimmy, we need to get her to Nurse Joy's office right now." Marina said as she tried to smoothen out May's hair.

"Is she alright?" Jimmy asked as Marina directed him to pick May up from the floor.

"I can't tell right now." Marina responded. "I just want to know why a group of freshman would just attack her out of the blue like this. May's never done a thing to them."

"Come on Marina, let's get moving." Jimmy said as he began to move toward the exit of Blake's room.

"After that, we're going to hunt down the bastards that did this to her." Marina proclaimed darkly.

**Lounge**

"What the hell are you doing?!" A freshman called out indignantly as he was shoved back into the lounge, drawing everyone's attention to the entrance where they could see that a crowd of sophomores were flooding into the room.

"You freshman think its funny to mess with people don't you?" Drake hissed as the freshman near the entrance of the lounge backed farther into the room, allowing the sophomores to take the space that had been left open. Drake raised his Poke-ball over his head, allowing the device to open up, releasing his Dragonite into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Another freshman yelled at the group, wondering why Drake would release such a large Pokemon in a closed area. Many of the freshman began to voice their complaints as well which only seemed to increase Drake aggravation.

"Shut it!" He snapped at them, silencing the crowd. "Dragonite, use Dragon Rage!"

"Raa...?" It said, scanning the room for the Pokemon that would be its opponent.

"Just use Dragon Rage!" Drake yelled, causing the large dragon Pokemon to flinch before it obediently opened its mouth to charge up an orange sphere of raw energy. Dragonite then ejected the sphere from its mouth, aiming it at the floor in front of the freshman where it exploding. This gained many troubled screams and shouts from the lower grade level while others took this as a sign that a battle was meant to take place.

"It its a battle you want, then its a battle you'll get!" Several freshman took it upon themselves to the initiate the battle that sophomores had been looking for, tossing dozens of Pokemon into battle inside of the lounge.

**Third Floor**

Quietly strolling through the empty third floor was a rather short dark skinned sophomore with his hands in his pockets, doing his best to steer clear of the battles taking place on the lower levels of the dorms.

'Target sighted.' Blake said mentally as he poked his head out from behind the corner to take a look at the sophomore. 'Mark Fuchsia.'

Mark sighed quietly, looking back at how he was pulled into this situation. It was like any other Friday, he was in the lounge chatting with a few of his friends near the electronic fire place when a random freshman burst into the room informing every that David had been attacked.

It seemed to be perfectly natural to be angry that David had been attack considering he was the strongest sophomore, or in other words, the representative for the sophomores. But starting a riot and storming into the freshman dorms as if they were sacking castle seemed to be way over the top. The only reason Mark was even here was because two of his friends grabbed him by his arms and legs, insisting that he take part since he was also a recognized trainer in the Tsugi Academy.

"Hey you!" A voice called out, gaining Mark's attention.

The short sophomore spun around to search for the source of the voice, only to meet with a thick black cane. The blow to his forehead sent him tumbling to the ground, yelling in pain as he held his head.

"Oww, what the hell was that for?" Mark shouted, laying on his side as Blake stepped forward, looking down at Mark with his usual smirk.

"Pokemon battle. One on one. Right now." Blake demanded as Mark waiting a few moments for the pain to dull down. Once he could bear through the pain, he bit his lip to distract himself from the facial pain before launching a horizontal bicycle kick, attempting to sweep Blake off his feet.

To his surprise, Blake jumped over the fast attack before taking a step back to prevent Mark from attacking again.

"Do you accept?" Blake asked as Mark rose up from the floor.

"Say it right." Mark said, jumping to his feet while taking out a Poke-ball.

"I, Blake, a freshman of the Tsuji Island Academy formally challenge you to an official one on one Pokemon battle." Blake began.

"And I, Mark Fuchsia, a sophomore, accept your challenge to a one on one Pokemon battle." Mark finished.

A mechanism with the Tsuji Academy became active when the declaration for an official battle was called.

Within the freshman Dorms, a small mechanical fly was released from a slot in the wall, the small device receiving the location of where the battle was taking place, using the ventilation system to reach Blake and Mark in a short period of time.

"Gallade, let's do this." Blake said, taking off his fedora which had been hiding Gallade's Poke-ball. Without removing the spherical object from his head, it opened, releasing the tall Psychic Pokemon into the hallway.

"Sceptile, its battle time." Mark tossed his Poke-ball into the air, releasing a tall, green humanoid Pokemon.

"Scept." It hissed at Gallade who simply extended its elbows in response.

"Sceptile/Gallade, use Leaf Blade!" They shouted together to their Pokemon.

The two leaves protruding from both of Sceptile's wrists grew and extra foot in length before glowing in a bright green color while both of Gallade's forearms and extended elbows began to glow in the same color.

The two Pokemon burst forward, their blades clashing as they neared each other with the clang of metal against metal. Gallade and Sceptile's right arm was knocked back directly after their Leaf Blade's came into contact with the others the two Pokemon separating.

"Keep going Sceptile." Mark ordered calmly, receiving a nod from his Pokemon.

"Don't let up Gallade."

The two Pokemon rushed at the other again, this time Gallade ducking below a direct attack from Sceptile before trying to slip in a blow from its side while circling around the Pokemon. Before Gallade could land the attack, Sceptile turned its body, the large tail it possessed hitting Gallade which sent the Pokemon flying toward the wall of the hallway.

Without any orders, Gallade preformed a somersault, landing on the wall on its feet, unaffected by the quick counter while using a little psychic energy to hold its feet to the wall.

"Move Gallade!" Blake shouted when he noticed Sceptile take one leap toward Gallade.

Gallade sprung to its left, remaining on the wall to avoid Sceptile's latest attack. But just as the psychic type Pokemon thought that it was free, Sceptile pursued. Sceptile lashed out at Gallade with its left arm, but the psychic Pokemon managed to block the attack with its own forearm. The two continued to clash their blades at close range as they ran along the wall, neither of them showing any fear to the sharp sword like arms the other was attacking with.

Mark and Blake began to chase after their Pokemon when they realized that they weren't going to turn back and stay in this corridor.

'His Gallade/Sceptile is pretty good.' The two trainers said mentally, acknowledging the strength of the others Pokemon.

**Nurse's Office**

"Oh my, what happened to her?" The bright haired woman exclaimed, taking notice of May on Jimmy's back as he and Marina barged into her office.

"We found her like this." Marina replied as Nurse Joy motioned for Jimmy to place May on one of the cots.

'Hmm?' Jimmy said as he removed his hand from May's thigh as he placed on her on the cot, his eyes becoming wide as he took note of a red liquid on his hand. 'No...'

Jimmy closed his hand into a tight fist, giving the unconscious May a grim stare before he and Marina were suddenly forced out the room by Nurse Joy. In the hallway, Marina was pacing back and forth in front the closed door, Jimmy seated on the floor, staring at his stained hand.

"Who could have done this to her?" Marina hissed, looking around hallway for something to hit before noticing that Jimmy hadn't moved since Nurse Joy had kicked them out. "What's wrong Jimmy?"

Jimmy remained silent, taking a deep breath in response.

"Jimmy, what's wrong?" Marina asked again, approaching her boyfriend who sighed.

"You have to promise to be cool if I tell you." Jimmy said slowly, receiving a nod from Marina.

"Just spit it out Jimmy." She said.

"When I put May down on the bed in Nurse Joy's office, there was blood on my hand." Jimmy explained, before glancing at Marina who had visibly paled.

"Blood...on your hand..." Marina muttered, looking down at the floor. "Nurse Joy!"

Marina burst into her office again, finding Nurse Joy and her Blissey standing next to May who was now dressed in a hospital gown, both of Blissey's hands enveloped in a bright white light and resting on May's lower torso.

"I was just about to call you two in." Nurse Joy said, looking up at Marina and Jimmy who had suddenly reentered her office. "Take a seat."

Nurse Joy took a seat behind her desk, motioning for Marina and Jimmy to take a seat while closing the door behind them.

"Now, I want the two of you tell me where you found her in such a state." Nurse Joy demanded in a stern voice, her usual pleasant exterior now replaced with a serious adult, a pair of circular glasses resting on the bridge of her nose.

"In the freshman Dorms." Jimmy answered, forcefully pulling Marina down into a seat, the girl still staring at her unconscious friend.

"And do you have any idea what happened to her." Nurse Joy asked, getting a no from both of them.

"H...How is she Nurse Joy?" Marina asked quietly, causing the woman to readjust her glasses with her middle finger while glancing back at May.

"Her jaw is pretty beaten up, she has a minor concussion and a stab wound to the back of her left thigh and her lower back." Nurse Joy explained.

"St-Stab wound...?" Marina said before glancing at Jimmy who was staring at his feet with a dark look. "Jimmy, how did you miss feeling _her _blood on _your_ hand."

"I guess when we found her the adrenaline rush made me miss something like that." Jimmy replied softly, looking at both his hands.

"She could have died and all you have to say is you missed it!" Marina screamed, turning to Jimmy who knew better than to retaliate at a moment like this.

"Marina, calm down." Jimmy whispered to her.

"How do you expect me to calm down when May could have died!" Marina continued, preventing Nurse Joy from speaking before she broke down. Jimmy pulled his girlfriend into a hug, trying to comfort her before Nurse Joy cleared her throat to get their attention.

"It's nothing to worry about, both of them are shallow hits that won't cause any permanent damage. But she'll be hospitalized for the weekend until she's well rested and healed by Blissey." Nurse Joy explained, causing Jimmy to sigh in relief.

"I'm sorry Jimmy..." Marina mumbled out in between small sobs to Jimmy who only shushed her. "I got caught up in the moment..."

"Shhh...don't worry about Marina, its okay." Jimmy whispered to her, tightening the embrace.

'But I still want to know where someone could get a weapon like that...' Nurse Joy said to herself mentally, quietly watching Jimmy and Marina.

**Freshman Dorms**

**Roof**

Gallade and Sceptile jumped at the other, their blades clashing once again as they passed each other.

The battle that had previously been taking place in the corridors of the freshman dorms had moved up to the roof where there was more space for the two Pokemon to battle with having any objects interfering with their quick movements.

"Time to mix things up a bit. Use Poison Jab." Blake commanded.

"Sceptile, counter with Detect!"

Gallade rushed at the Pokemon, both its hands becoming a dark purple color. In Sceptile's perspective, time had slowed down, allowing it to easily read Gallade's movements.

As Gallade threw a quick jab, Sceptile quickly parried away its arm, careful to make sure it didn't come into contact with poison aura before using its other arm to land a simple jab in return. Gallade flinched before continuing its assault, performing a quick one two. Sceptile easily evaded the two punches before ducking below a high kick from Gallade, using this opening to performing a sweep kick which put Gallade on its bottom in a split second.

'Damn, as long as Detect is in effect, Gallade won't land a single hit.' Blake muttered mentally, watching Gallade jumped to its feet. 'But we need to keep attacking to make him believe that Sceptile is the better fighter.'

Sceptile blocked a crescent kick from Gallade using its left forearm before landing a quick jab to Gallade's face since it was completely open for a counter. Gallade took a step back before lashing out with its right leg at Spectile's torso.

Sceptile easily blocked the kick with a smirk using one arm while stepping into Gallade's space where it landed a solid hit to Gallade's stomach. Gallade grunted as it hunched over in pain only to meet with a knee with from Sceptile which forcefully straightened up the Psychic Pokemon, allowing Sceptile to land a hard punch to its face which sent Gallade to the ground.

"Sheesh." Blake mumbled to himself, annoyed with how long Detect was remaining active. "Gallade, use Poison Jab again."

"Gal." It said, jumping to its feet, closely observing Sceptile as a purple aura enveloped both his hands. Just as Gallade burst forward toward Sceptile, it noticed the reappearance of the grass Pokemon's pupils. 'Lade…'

With all the speed it could muster for one step, Gallade closed this distance between itself and Sceptile with frightening speed. Once it appeared in front of Sceptile, Gallade took this opportunity to land a pair of attacks on Sceptile at the same time. One to the left side of its torso, the other to its right temple.

"Sceptile!" Mark shouted when he realized that Detect must have ended for Sceptile to be hit. Sceptile hissed for a moment, glaring at Gallade before its knees buckled, allowing it to collapse to the ground.

"I'll admit, your Sceptile is pretty strong and fast." Blake commented, halting the battle as Gallade waited for Sceptile to become steady on its legs.

"Umm, thanks." Mark responded slowly, only giving Blake half his attention while the rest went to his Sceptile who was back on its feet but standing on weak knees from the double hit to its temple and liver as well as the type advantage the amplified the damage done.

"Mark Fuchsia, the most underrated trainer in the Top 10 of the Tsuji Academy. You'd think Rank 10 would be the one that gets the least amount of attention, but out of the Top 10, you're rarely spoken about." Blake said, getting raised eyebrows from Mark.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's not that you're the weakest, you're strong for your age group, but battling in the shadow of David and Drake, you're rarely acknowledged. Unlike Jimmy who battles anyone he can, you rarely battle or showcase your skills so you're forgotten. That's why I want you're Rank, and you're not going to stop me from taking it." Blake declared, clicking his cane against the ground.

"Oh really?" Mark began as his Sceptile straightened up, ready to continue. "We'll see about that. Sceptile, use Quick Attack and X-Scissors!"

"Gallade, counter using Double Team and Poison Jab." Blake ordered.

The first to move was Sceptile who burst forward, closing in on Gallade in a moments notice where it proceeded to slash at the Psychic Pokemon's torso with its extended wrists only for Gallade to disappear as Sceptile's arm passed through its body.

Behind Sceptile Gallade appeared, throwing a right hook at the Pokemon from behind. On instinct Sceptile pushed to its right, attempting to side step the attack, but another copy of Gallade split off from the original, keeping up with Sceptile to throw the hook.

Sceptile prepared for contact, waiting to take the full hit to its jaw, only to be surprised when Gallade's hand harmlessly passed through Sceptile's head. Before Sceptile could come to terms with the fact that the copy's attack had failed, the real Gallade jumped at Sceptile, landing an airborne scissor kick to its head which sent is stumbling backward.

'Damn, with that Double Team in effect, fighting his Gallade is even trickier than it already was.' Mark mumbled to himself as Sceptile regained its bearings, charging at Gallade again with its advanced speed, leaving a white streak of light behind it.

Once again Gallade disappeared at Sceptile's first attack, but this time the Forest Pokemon was ready for the attack from behind that never came.

"Sceptile, below!" Mark shouted as the Grass type Pokemon looked down, finding Gallade in front of it in a crouch before it lashed out with its left leg, planting its foot into Sceptile's stomach which sent it up into the air.

"Go!" Blake yelled, raising his cane.

"Gal-lade!" The Psychic Pokemon shouted as it leaped into the air, passing Sceptile just enough so that it could land a dual hammer fist to Sceptile's head which sent the large green Pokemon to the ground with a audibly thud.

'Grr, the longer the battle continues, the faster that Gallade becomes and the more precise its attacks become.' Mark noted. At the beginning of the battle, it was obvious to Mark that Sceptile was superior in every category, but now it looked like Gallade was steadily becoming strong as well as its trainer.

The wide, malicious smile Blake wore on his face was beginning to annoy Mark since he wore in constantly. He barely had to give Gallade a command since the Pokemon was fluidly countering any kind of pattern they launched at it not to mention the Double Team continued to make excellent traps and distractions.

Sceptile sprung off its right again, the Gallade in front of it doing the same to stay with the Forest Pokemon. Behind Sceptile was another Gallade, yet another one of the tricks they had started using to distract Sceptile with one while the other attacked and so on.

The Gallade in front threw a quick jab, its hand passing through Sceptile which meant it was another copy, but when Sceptile turned around and swiped the second Gallade, this one disappeared as well.

Blake's cackled which succeeded in irritating Mark as Gallade appeared in the Pokemon's path, cutting it off with a round house kick which Sceptile narrowly dodged by ducking.

"Sceptile, use this chance to land an X-Scissors." Mark ordered desperately while Blake only cackled as Gallade landed in front of Sceptile.

Gallade jumped back, avoiding the vertical swipe before jumping forward, landing a right straight to Sceptile's face, the damaged Forest Pokemon's knees buckling from the hit. Gallade didn't let up, going in for the finish with a left hook which sent Sceptile to the ground tumbling.

"Nice Gallade, excellent." Blake said, tipping his fedora forward.

**Freshman Lounge**

"Weavile, use Ice Beam on Dragonite." Paul shouted, pointing at Drake's Dragonite that had trapped the freshman with in their lounge.

"Wea!" The Pokemon screeched as it charged up a sphere of cyan color energy before firing it at Dragonite, freezing its feet to the floor.

"Brock, Ash, let's move." Paul yelled at the two of them now that their path was open.

"Dragonite, what happened?" Drake shouted when he noticed that Dragonite was glued to the position it held.

"Pikachu, use Thunder!" Ash pointed at the mass of eleven Pokemon that had been fighting between the sophomores and the Freshmen.

"Croagunk, use Sludge Bomb!" Brock said, ordering his Croagunk to assist Ash's Pikachu.

"Weavile, help them out with Ice Beam!"

The three attacks separated the Pokemon, halting the unofficial five on six battle between the freshman and sophomores. While none of the sophomores had been hurt, several of the freshman had taken some form of damage from stray attacks or getting hit by debris.

"All of you stop right now, this is getting way out of hand!" Brock shouted in the silence, putting both his hands up at the opposing parties.

"If you guys don't move, we'll move you." Drake threatened, glaring at the trio who was trying to resolve the matter.

"Violence will only make things worse, why can't you guys talk it out?" Brock asked which only darkened Drake's glare.

"Talking in resulted in them thinking they can stand up for themselves." Drake said, recalling what had happened the day before in the cafeteria. "Now we're showing them what happens when you pick a fight."

"When has violence solved anything?" Brock continued, trying to reason with, the sophomores actually taking a minute to think about it.

"It doesn't…but it sure as hell will make me feel better." Drake replied with a smile. "Dragonite, use Dragon Rage again at the freshman."

"Pikachu, deflect it with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

"Pika-chu!" The small Electric Mouse yelled as it fired a bolt of charged electricity toward the Dragon Rage attack that Dragonite had already fired at the freshman.

Pikachu's attack was more than strong enough to push the orange orb off course, sending it flying into one of the side walls of the room which further enraged the freshman at the damage to their one hang out spot.

"That's it, Glaceon use-" The freshman began before Paul clapped his hand over her mouth, preventing her from finishing her command.

"Don't attack." Paul said to all of them. "You're not making anything better by retaliating, in fact, that's exactly what they want."

"Paul." Drake hissed with a frown. "Stop killing my fun."

"I know you've been dying for something like this Drake, but you're just adding to the tensions." Brock said, recalling the statement he had received from Drake during their peer leadership group sessions.

"So what, it's about time something interesting happened around here." Drake mumbled to himself while Paul narrowed his eyes.

"So hurting other people is interesting?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, if it's the only to do while you're stuck on this damn island." Drake replied before focusing on Paul. "You should know that Paul, considering how bored you used too. Don't you remember when we used to hang out?"

"That was before you became absorbed in the pride of representing you grade level." Paul responded coolly, getting a smirk from Drake.

"Representing my grade level…let's have a battle then Paul, me representing the sophomores, and you representing the Juniors." Drake said, motioning for his Dragonite to step forward which it did now that the ice freezing it to the floor had weakened slightly from the warmth of the room.

"I decline, a battle in here will only result in more property damage and harm to the people in here." Paul replied calmly, returning Weavile to its Poke-ball.

"Fine then." Drake said with a huff. "Dragonite, use Heat Wave."

Paul was ready to leave the room, but when he heard Drake's order, he realized the attack must've been aimed at him. He looked up immediately, noticing the Dragonite wasn't looking at him, but the four freshman to his left that had engaged the sophomores in battle.

"Look out!" Paul roared as three of them began to move, realizing that Dragonite was aiming at them, but the remaining one, a girl, was frozen in place.

Paul sprung to his left, racing towards the female brunette that was frozen in place as Dragonite fired its attack. In one quick motion, Paul swept her off her feet, taking one huge leap to get out of Heat Wave's attack path.

The incinerating wind blew through the room, all of the freshman barely scrambling out of the way in time. Much of the furniture and carpeting that had remained in its path was burned ashes in an instant.

"Again Dragonite!"

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"

"Croagunk, Poison Jab!"

As Dragonite inhaled to prepare its attack, Pikachu and Croagunk charged forward toward the large Dragon type Pokemon, hoping to disrupt it before it could launch another attack.

Pikachu was first to hit, its high speed allowing it close the distance between itself and Dragonite in no time at all, a yellow funnel forming around the Electric Mouse. Ramming itself into Dragonite's stomach, the Dragon type Pokemon flinched before expanding its belly to push Pikachu away, giving Croagunk time to close in.

Croagunk sprung upward as Pikachu was blown away, rushing toward Dragonite's open chin where it landed a Poison Jab infused upper cut, sending Dragonite's head skyward as it launched its attack at the ceiling. The blazing wind easily burned its way through the ceiling, but luckily the room about was unused and the freshman were safe.

"Grr..." Drake grumbled when he noticed Dragonite stumbled backward. 'Those last two hits have Dragonite near its limit again.' "Dragonite, return!"

The large Dragon Pokemon became completely red before it disappeared into its Poke-ball.

"You're all lucky Dragonite was in such a tough battle yesterday." Drake began, motioning for the other sophomores to return their Pokemon. "Consider this an example freshman. Next time you won't be so lucky, and the same goes for you Juniors too."

Ash, Brock and Paul watched the sophomores retreat out the room, leaving the freshman in silence to observe their now destroyed lounge.

"Guys, this is getting way to out of control." Ash commented as Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder.

"I know, if it goes on like this someone is going to get more than hurt." Paul stated uncomfortably, glancing toward the freshman who had barely gotten away from the first Heat Wave from Dragonite.

**Roof**

"Sceptile, can you get up?" Mark asked, receiving a nod form his Pokemon who climbed back up to its feet. "Are you sure?"

"Scept." It said, the leaves on its wrist extending again, becoming a dark yellow.

"Alright then, go ahead and attack." Mark said, pointing at Gallade who had been waiting for a short period of time to continue.

Sceptile burst forward, using Quick Attack for a speed boost as it closed in on Gallade. Gallade blocked Sceptile's initial attack, the Forest Pokemon circling around.

With skill and speed that resembled using Detect, Gallade easily evaded all of Sceptile's attack no matter where it attacked from.

"Alright Gallade, go in for the counter now." Blake ordered his Psychic Pokemon.

Sceptile went in for a low attack for Gallade's legs, but Gallade took a small jump over its X-Scissor attack, raising its right leg. It was then Sceptile realized how bad of situation it was in with Gallade above it.

Gallade landed a hard drop kick to the base of Sceptile's neck, sending the large green Pokemon to the ground with a thud, both its eyes being replaced with a small black swirl.

"Winner, Blake!" A soft mechanical voice said as a change occurred within the school's internal system, Blake taking Mark's Rank within the Top 10.

"Alright, I give up." Mark said, returning his partner to its Poke-ball. "You're way stronger than me so I surrender my Rank to you."

"Thanks." Blake said as tapped the ground twice with his cane.

"I just want to know how come Gallade was able to avoid all our attacks, even when Sceptile obviously had the advantage in speed."

"That? That's nothing special." Blake stated in a bored tone. "That happens when Gallade is pushed to a certain extent in battle. It's from the special training we did at the other Academies."

"I saw your match with Gina a month ago, you could've beaten her if you had this much power. Why didn't you?"

"Because that would be boring." Blake replied, turning away from Mark while motioning for Gallade to follow him.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7! Very proud of this chapter with the plot movement we're starting to get, along with another serious one on one Pokemon battle. Please, if you have anything to see on the battle scene, tell me. I want to know how these look to you guys. <strong>

**The reviews you guys have left me are much appreciated, continue to do so. It makes me work harder when I know about what I can work on.**

**Read, review and enjoy!**


	8. Aftermath

**Revised.**

* * *

><p>Part 8<p>

**November 14th**

**Tsuji Academy **

**Cafeteria**

The cafeteria was silent. In fact, no one had even gotten to their seats. Everyone's attention was focused solely on the large monitor on the wall of the lunch area that was currently displaying the rankings for the Tsugi Top 10. It had been ages since anyone had really paid attention to this since the Top 10 never had any changes. At least, not until now.

Gina - Rank 1

David - Rank 2

Cynthia - Rank 3

Drake - Rank 4

Fiona - Rank 5

Anthony - Rank 6

Blake - Rank 7

Paul - Rank 8

Jimmy - Rank 9

Ash - Rank 10

Whispers floated around the gathering crowd as everyone pointed out the new face among the ten pictures.

"Blake?"

"Who's that?"

"Isn't he a senior?"

"No, he's the freshman that started the fight in the Pokemon Center."

"A freshman?"

"Another one made the Top 10?"

"How did Blake become Rank 7?" Ash exclaimed, turning toward Dawn who wore a similar expression of shock. Behind the pair, some soft cackling drew their attention since they only knew one person who laughed like that.

"Blake, how did you get into the Top 10?" Dawn asked.

"The same way anyone else would. I beat one of them." He replied nonchalantly after his laughter came to a stop.

"You beat one of the Top 10?" Dawn exclaimed, receiving a nod from him.

"I can't answer any more questions right now, I've got some things to take care." He said, fading away into the surrouding crowd, leaving Ash and Dawn even more confused than they already were. If that was even possible.

"Did you you know he was that strong?" Dawn asked.

"I thought he was pretty good, but I never though he would be as strong as the rest of us." Ash replied as he scratched the back of neck. "I wish he would've told us he was this good. It would've been good to know."

* * *

><p>The gang sat at their usual lunch table, chatting loudly after finishing their meal. The topic of the day was something nearly the entire cafeteria was talking about. The huge battle at the freshman dorms.<p>

"I'm still surprised they had the guts to invade the freshman dorms." Paul said, getting a nod of agreement from Brock.

"I wasn't expecting them to do anything, but I guess having both of their best trainers get beaten by juniors in the tournament lit the fire, and then the freshman poured some oil on it." Brock went on.

"I know. The moment someone from the Top 10 gets involved things always get out of control." Paul mumbled. Ever since the Top 10 had become divided among the grade levels, whenever something became heated, someone from the Top 10 was bound to stick their nose in, and the intense rivalry between those ten trainers always bubbled over into something that involved the entire grade.

"Now that Blake is part of the Top 10, I get the feeling the freshman might start to think that they can stand up for themselves now." Jimmy said rather flatly. This was sure to spell trouble. It was bad enough when all of this battling was just between the sophomores and juniors. If the freshman were consistently getting involved as well, things would only escalate.

"I'm pretty sure Blake is going to become a target for both of the juniors and the sophomores. There's going to be a few people that want that spot since no one really has a measure on Blake's skill." Paul pointed out.

"I wouldn't be worried about Blake. He can hold is own against Gina, so he'll be fine." Jimmy assured them.

"But still, from what I saw during the tournament, he's technical trainer. He won't be able to fight multiple opponents on his own."

"There's nothing to worry about Paul." Jimmy insisted.

"Jimmy, I'll admit that he's a good trainer, maybe even a great one. But he's not invincible."

"Paul, don't be so paranoid. Why do you care so much anyway?" Ash asked, looking at Paul through narrow, almost teasing eyes. Paul had never given anyone this much attention.

"Because if the juniors manage to get their hands on it, things will only get worse. You guys saw what happened to May when the freshman and sophomores were fighting." Paul said, silencing the whole table.

"Umm, Paul...can we stay away from this subject." Dawn said nervously, taking note of Marina who's expression had hardened, as well as the approaching the green haired boyfriend of May.

"Hey guys." Drew said with a small smile as he took a seat at the table. "Have any of you seen May? I couldn't find her over the weekend so I thought she was sleeping over with Dawn or Marina."

The atmosphere around the table became dark, making even Ash's appetite disappear.

The table became quiet, Marina's expressing darkening. Even Ash put down his grilled cheese sandwich after swallowing what he had in his mouth, his appetite disappearing.

"What wrong?" Drew asked, noticing the strange behavior of his friends.

"Well Drew..." Brock began, trying to be delicate with this explanation. "May was at the freshman dorms last Friday."

"No way, she wasn't hurt was she?" Drew asked, looking around at the group for the answer.

"Uhh, she was..." Brock went on, unsure of the correct words to use to make sure that Drew didn't blow his top.

"She was assaulted by a few freshman and stabbed." Paul interjected. Beating around the bush was taking too long, and the direct approach would make this easier for everyone

"…What?" Drew said in whisper after a rather long pause. His gazer shifted from each of his friends at the lunch table, but none of them, save for Paul, made eye contact with him. "This must be a joke…"

"It's not, Jimmy and Marina found her and took her to Nurse Joy. You can ask her if you really want to know." Paul continued, being as straightforward with Drew as possible. It seemed harsh, but no one else was going to say it. Drew looked down, allowing his bangs to cast a shadow over his eyes. This caused all of them to look up at him collectively.

"Drew-" Dawn began, but Drew left in a hurry, making his way toward the exit of the cafeteria.

'Heh heh…that went perfectly.' Blake commented as Drew rushed out of the cafeteria. There was no playing around with Paul, he was straight with anyone, doing exactly what Blake thought he would do. Give Drew the bad news with no qualms.

**Nurse's Office**

Drew burst into Nurse Joy's office, disturbing the woman who had been assisting another student toward one of the beds.

"Nurse Joy, is May Maple here?!" He yelled, shocking the woman who released her hold on the girl she had been helping which left her with no support.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Nurse Joy said after the girl had toppled over with a shriek. She then hoisted her up from the ground and gently placed her on the bed.

"Nurse Joy, is May here?" Drew continued, gaining a sharp glance from the woman. Drew's impatience didn't sit well with her.

"May Maple?" Nurse Joy asked herself. The name was familiar, but with all of the students that were showing up at the incident in the freshman dorms, she couldn't be sure.

"Yeah, she's about this tall, with brown hair. She always wears a red bandana." Drew explained, describing his girlfriend.

"Oh yes...I think she was in, room twelve." Nurse Jo, receiving a quick thanks from the boy before he ran off into the corridor leading to the medical wing.

Nurse Joy could here Drew barge into a room in the hallway, but rather than a warm welcome from his girlfriend, he was greeted with a loud shriek. Next came his frantic apologizes, and then a loud smack.

"Nurse Joy!" Drew roared as he came stomping back into her office with a red hand print on his cheek.

"Sorry." She said, shuffling over to her desk to see the roster. "Try room seventeen."

Drew remained skeptical of her answer until he knocked on the door of room seventeen, hearing the voice knew belonged to May. She told him to come in, and he found her resting underneath the covers of her bed, quietly watching the tv that had been mounted on the wall.

"May!" Drew exclaimed, rushing over to his girlfriend who he pulled into a tight hug before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Drew?" May said in a muffled voice, speaking into the sleeve of his shirt.

"I was so worried about you." He continued as he held her tightly. "Are you alright. I heard about what happened on Friday, why didn't you tell me anything?"

"I'm fine Drew." She assured him as he released her, giving her some breathing space. "And I didn't tell you because I knew you'd overreact. I didn't want you to blow your top and do something stupid."

"When have I ever been known to overreact to something?" Drew asked, although now he wanted to take his words back as May took in a deep breath to begin her rant. "You know what, forget I ever said that ."

May snickered at this, raising a hand to ruffle Drew's hair. He absolutely hated this, but he would let May get away with it this time.

"So are you sure you're alright?" Drew asked again, receiving a sigh from May.

"I'm fine Drew." She insisted before rising from her bed to prove her point. May began to skip about the room, showing Drew that she was more than capable of moving on her own as her hospital gown fluttered behind her. The back of her gown was open, giving Drew the opportunity to observe scar that had been left behind from the stab wound on her back. "See, I perfectly fine."

"Yeah, I can see that." Drew replied, looking at May with stern expression. "But until Nurse Joy discharges you, I want you to rest."

Without an warning, May was swept off feet by Drew who returned her to her bed, placing her down as though she were a princess.

"Such a gentleman." May exclaimed playfully as Drew flipped his bangs.

"What else would you expect from the world's greatest boyfriend?" Drew asked with a smirk, only to be hit by a pillow.

"Some humility!" She hollered at him.

Drew stuck his tongue out at her before exiting the room just before May could chuck another pillow at him. Once Drew shut the door, he leaned against it with a darkening expression. The scar on her back was the only thing he could think about right now.

Freshman...

"They hurt my May...'

Drew shoved his hands in his pocket and left Nurse Joy's office. Once he was outside, he found Paul, Jimmy and Marina waiting for him out there.

"How's she doing?" Jimmy asked, receiving no reply from Drew. They allowed a moment of silence of pass as Drew looked down at the floor, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. Then drew approached the lockers on the other side of the hall which he punched with no hesitation, creating an audible bang.

"Those freshman are going to pay." Drew grumbled angrily, beginning to storm off down the hall, but a hand on his shoulder held him back.

"Drew, don't." Paul said, holding him back. "You know May didn't tell you to stop you from doing something like this."

Drew glanced over his shoulder at Paul, then he shook himself loos from his grip to continue moving.

"Drew, what are you going to do?" Marina asked, stepping toward him.

"Find the freshman who hurt May, and beat the living hell out of them!" Drew replied, raising his voice.

"Then count me in." Marina declared. Paul looked back at Jimmy who wore a straight face as he followed the three of them.

'Not on is Drew angry, but Marina is too and Jimmy is following her to make sure she doesn't get hurt. This isn't going to end well.' Paul said to himself as the group left him standing alone in the hallway.

**November 14th – Evening**

**Freshman Dorms**

**Lounge**

Drew kicked open the door to the lounge, the slam of the wooden door against the wall drawing the attention of the students present in the room. Their lounge had barely been prepared over the weekend, and the burned furniture had yet to be replaced, but that didn't stop them from using it. It was the one place that was freshman only on the entire island.

"Hey freshman, do any of you know the idiots that attack May Maple?" Drew shouted as he, Jimmy and Marina walked further into the room.

"May Maple...?"

"Hey, she's the Contest Queen."

"When was she attacked?"

"Last Friday she was attacked by a group of you and she was stabbed." Drew stated, getting a gasp in response from the room. "I'm her boyfriend, and I want to know who did this right now!"

Drew's frustration could be seen by all who were present, and the level of his anger left most of them terrified. But someone stepped forward with a confession.

"Do you know something?" Drew snapped at the freshman known as Geoffrey who had stepped forward, but he couldn't find the words he wanted to say. Drew stared at him for a moment, then he began to walk toward him, taking his spot at the center of room in front of Geoffrey, glaring down at him. "Well?!"

Jimmy and Marina had made their way to the center of the lounge as well, but now that the exits were open, two people decided to make their move. Marcus and Madison slipped through the crowd until they were at the exit, although they failed to open up the door without making a sound.

'Why are they leaving me here?' Geoffrey exclaimed, his eyes widening at the sight of Marcus and Madison trying to leave him.

Drew head snapped around to follow the gaze of Geoffrey, allowing him to catch an eyeful of Madison and Marcus leaving in a hurry. Geoffrey's expression said enough for him to understand what was happening.

"Jimmy, Marina, get them." Drew said, motioning to the two freshman that had run off. They gave him a nod before pursuing. "I'll be there soon."

Drew then turned to Geoffrey and decked him on the jaw which sent him to the ground with a grunt from the unexpected attack.

"Roserade, get him with Vine Whip." Drew said as he released his partner Pokemon beside him. As Geoffrey spotted Roserade, he raised his arms to protect himself, but instead of being whipped repeatedly with green vines, he found himself being completely wrapped by them and lifted into the air. "Let's go."

"What do you think you're doing?" One of the freshman called out at Drew as the whole crowd seemed to close up around him.

"Look." Drew said, giving them a threatening glare. "I didn't come here to fight with any of you. I just came to wrap up something that's none of your business."

"So what, that doesn't give you the right to be bully." Another added as the crowd tightened around him. Drew exhaled before looking at Roserade.

"Petal Dance."

No one had a chance to make a move as a hurricane of pink petals surged outward from Roserade, pushing away the freshman with ease. Drew stood within the eye of the storm with Roserade, watching as the path toward the exit of the room opened up for him. All of the surrounding freshman were thrown against the wall, allowing Drew to join the pursuit of Marcus and Madison.

* * *

><p>Madison and Marcus came to a halt with a curse, realizing that they had been chased into a dead end with no way out now that Marina and Jimmy had blocked off their only exit path.<p>

"We've got no choice but to fight out way out." Marcus said as he pulled a Poke-ball out of his pocket, releasing his Carnivine that was held within it.

"If its our only option, then so be it." Madison added as she released her own Pokemon, a female Marowak

Jimmy and Marina didn't say a word, releasing their partner Pokemon, a Typhlosion and Croconaw respectively. The two Pokemon studied their opponents for a moment before smirking. This would be easy.

"Carnivine, use Razor Leaf!"

"Marowak, Bonemerang!"

The two belonging to the freshman roared before launching their attacks together. The hallway became filled with dozens of crescent leaves that raced toward Typhlosion and Croconaw with Marowak's thick bone club at the heart of the storm.

"Typhlosion, use Blast Burn."

"Croconaw, stop that Bonemerang with Aqua Jet."

Typhlosion opened up its mouth, charging up a golden sphere which it fired at the approaching horde of sharp leaves. The sphere lit up the hallway up as it consumed the leaves, heading straight down the hall toward its target. Carnivine gasped in pain as the sphere crashed into it Carnivine, surrounding it in a raging inferno. Despite the power of the Blast Burn attack, the Bonemerang continued its course, at least until Croconaw intercepted it using Aqua Jet.

Racing down the hall surrounded in a torrent of water, Croconaw knocked Marowak's club aside as if it were nothing before charging straight for it. The hallway had only been on fire for a matter of seconds before Croconaw passed through, dosing the flames before it could become serious. Marowak gave a shout of great pain as Croconaw crashed into it which sent it tumbling backward a several feet before it came to a stop where it remained motionless. A blackened an burned Carnivine fell out the flames to the ground where it remained immobile.

Marcus and Madison were shocked to see the battle end so quickly. They had been destroyed in an instant.

"N-No way." Marcus stammered out, looking toward Jimmy and Marina continued to glare at them. An unnerving stare that sent chills up the spine of the freshman.

"You can't possibly be that strong." Madison exclaimed out loud before Marina and Jimmy separated giving Drew space to step in with his Roserade right behind him, holding up Geoffrey with its vines. Clearly he wasn't happy, and as the trio began to walk to them, Marcus and Madison began to back away until they were pressed up against the wall at the end of the hall. It was as though Drew, Jimmy and Marina had grown to be three sizes bigger as they exerted a pressure onto them.

"Gah!" Geoffrey yelled as he was thrown to the floor beside Marcus and Madison who looked up fearfully at the trio that closed up around them.

**Tsuji Academy**

**Principal's Office**

"Blake, what is this?" Spruce asked as Blake opened up his laptop to show Spruce the live video feed one of his cameras had conveniently caught. "What are they doing?!"

Spruce was clearly shocked to find Drew, Jimmy and Marina attacking three freshman. It was hard to believe that this was true, especially considering that Blake of all people was showing him this.

"It's an issue between Drew Hayden and those three freshman." Blake replied.

"I will tolerate violence on or off campus." Spruce declared, rushing to the door of his office only to discover that the wooden door wouldn't budge. "What the...?"

"Locked." Blake stated, watching as Spruce began to search his clothing for his keys. Hearing a jingle behind him, Spruce glanced over his should to see Blake holding a familiar chain of keys. Figures...

"How did..." Spruce began.

"Don't bother asking." Blake interjected.

"But I have to stop them! Blake, I'm ordering you to hand over my keys!" Spruce demanded.

"You want to, but that won't resolve the problem as a whole." Blake said before wincing as he saw Marina brutally plant her knee into Madison's stomach. "Oh, damn. Jimmy's girlfriend is just as brutal as he used to be."

"What to you mean Blake? If we don't act now things will only get more out of hand." Spruce reasoned.

"You saw what happened last week. There's no containing this right now. It'll continue to boil over despite your best efforts." Blake said as he closed down his laptop. "This is going to get a lot worse as time goes on, so you better be ready."

"But..." Spruce wrinkled his forehead before extending a hand toward Blake for the return of his keys.

"Moving on!" Blake said, changing the subject. "I heard that its an old tradition to hold a Winter Dance at the end of the tournament every year, but you guys stopped it. What happened to it?"

"The Winter Dance?" Spruce repeated the name, recalling the last time they had even discussed the event. "It's sort of an old on. The winner of the tournament would chose a theme for the dance and all invited would do their best to fit the theme. Unfortunately, the senior dorms was burned down about seven years ago, and the money that was normally used for the dance went to the reconstruction of the dorms. And that pretty much ended the tradition."

"I see." Blake said, nodding to the man. Then he smirked. "It looks like we're having a Winter Dance this year."

**November 15th – Period 4**

**Principal's Office**

Drew, Jimmy and Marina sat across from bruised, beaten and somewhat broken freshman who they had attacked roughly twelve hours before. None of them had been hurt to the point where they would need extensive care from Nurse Joy, but all three of them were clearly displeased with their current appearance.

"It was brought to my attention that you three assaulted these freshman?" Spruce inquired, his gaze fixated on Jimmy, Marina and Drew who he had called to his office.

"Yeah, it's true." Jimmy stated, attempting to show some backbone since Drew's had disappeared even though this all started with him.

"Well then, its looks like I have every right to suspend the three of you for violence on school grounds." Spruce went on.

"Are you kidding me?" Marina exclaimed before pointing at the three freshman. "They attack May Maple. Everything that happened to them yesterday they earned.

"But why would you go to such lengths to get back at them?" Spruce asked.

"She's our friend. She's wouldn't hurt a thing, and I know she hasn't done a thing to the freshman to deserve what she got." Marina explained as Jimmy took a hold of one of her hands, giving it a squeeze to calm her down.

"So is it true that you three attacked May?" Spruce asked, now looking at the trio who couldn't muster the courage to look him in the eye. It took some time, but eventually Geoffrey confessed. "And what was your motive for attacking her?"

"After what happened at the Pokemon Center, we were sick of the kind of treatment we were getting. We tried to make a statement." Madison replied quietly.

"I see. It's clear now that all of you have earned a suspension based on your actions. And each and every one of you will have to drop out of the tournament. If I hear about anything like this again, you all will be expelled." Spruce explained. He then allowed about a minute to pass to let in on sink in for them, then he motioned for them to leave. Once the group had left his office, Spruce sighed inwardly before heading over to his computer. His job description said nothing about students trying to kill each other.

"Nice job Spruce." Someone commented, causing Spruce to jump with surprised before he looked around for the source of the voice.

"Hello?" He said nervously.

"Calm down, its me Blake."

"Blake, where are you?"

"Check your computer." He replied. Spruce followed the orders and found Blake on his computer screen in a small window in the top left corner.

"How'd you get into my computer?"

"I hacked it." Blake responded a bit too casually. "But that's besides the point. We have some planning to do."

"Planning?"

"Yeah, for the Winder Dance." Blake continued. "Since I control the budget, I want to do a little spending?"

"How much spending?" Spruce asked slowly, narrowing his eyes at Blake who flashed his usual smile.

"Forty two million dollars is the target range, although I won't make any promises."

"WHAT!"

"Remember, no promises." And with that, Blake disappeared from his screen.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 8. The actions taken on Fancy Friday have led to their consequences. Please Review, I'd like some feedback on this part since I thought it was little weak.<strong>

**As far as any the plot is going, all the developments will be starting pretty soon, and just so you known, the calender in this fic follows a 2011-2012 calender, I thought it be cool to post according to the date and have it go in sync with it, but as you can see, I fell behind a while ago since I've been in one place for a while.**

**Anyway, read, review and enjoy! :D**


	9. The Red Joker : The End of Act One

**Revised.**

* * *

><p>Part 9<p>

**November 18th – Afternoon**

**Battle Arena**

Weavile gave a screech of pain as it backed away from its opponent, giving Shiftry a sharp glance as it held its side. This match was going far from well despite the type advantage Weavile had over Gina's Shiftry.

"Shiftry, let's wrap this up with Leaf Storm!" Gina shouted, extending her arm toward Weavile. Shiftry responded by extending its own arm, whipping up a strong cyclone that became cluttered with leaves that rushed toward Weavile.

'I guess we have no choice.' Paul said to himself. If they were going to win this battle, they would have to pull out all the stops, including one he had been saving for just this kind of situation. "Weavile, no more holding back. Dodge it with your full speed and then use X-Scissors!"

"Wea!" It shouted as it sprung top its left, vanishing from sight. All that was left was a small dust cloud that had been kicked up when Weavile took off. Gina's eyes became wide when she realized that she had lost track of Weavile completely. She knew that Weavile's were more than capable of reaching high speeds, but this was something she had yet to see.

"Shiftry, get ready to-" She began, but Weavile appeared behind Shiftry, striking its back with no hesitation. Shiftry stumbled forward from the blow before whirling around in search of Weavile, but it was gone already. Paul now wore a confident smirk. Keeping up with speed like this was impossible.

The battle between Paul and Gina had been the main focus of the day, and it was nothing short of excellent as the crowd watched on with their attention full focused on them. The pace was fast, and since both trainers were very adept in the mechanics of Pokemon battling, they continued to trade of attacks through intense levels of concentration. Now that Paul had called for Weavile to good full speed and show no mercy to its opponent, Gina had no choice to pull out one of her own trump cards, a card that she had been using frequently as of late.

"Sunny Day!"

Just the weather condition alone closed off many of Paul's options. Their ice type attacks had been weakened considerably from this, and Shiftry also received a speed boost. It pretty much leveled the playing field that Paul had worked to hard to uproot.

"Weavile, use Crush Claw!" Paul ordered.

"Shiftry, dodge it." Gina said calmly.

Weavile raced at Shiftry once again, closing the distance between them very quickly before lashing out at it with its claws. Shiftry sidestepped the initial attack, but Weavile remained persistent, pursuing Shiftry as it moved while unleashing a variety of attacks. Using its forearm to block off an attack since it had been caught off balance, Shiftry grunted when it realized that Weavile had finally gained a step on it. And that was all it need. With lightning fast reflexes, Weavile readjusted itself and threw its claws at Shiftry's lower torso gaining a howl of pain from the grass type.

Shiftry took a step backward, covering its torso as Gina gave a call for it to move, but Weavile continued it assault regardless of wherever Shiftry tried to flee to. Weavile was quickly beginning to take over, until Gina decided to make one last desperate move.

"Shiftry, use Grass Knot to capture Weavile!" She shouted, but Paul had planned ahead for this.

"Weavile, cut your way through with X-Scissors!" Paul shouted, although the end result was shocking for him. Weavile rushed into the grass that had grown tall in just a few seconds, raising its claws to mow it down, but the grass seemed to sway out of the way. Before Paul could even give a shout of 'look out!' to his Pokemon, the grass latched onto all of Weavile's limbs, hoisting it into the air where it was unable to free itself.

"Shiftry, finish this with Giga Impact!" Gina commanded, raising her hand into the air for their usual finisher. She couldn't help but notice that she had been calling out for this attack a lot more often. It was as if everyone was closing in on her compared to last year.

"Weavile!" Paul hollered as Shiftry leaped into to the air as a purple funnel formed around it. The grass type then turned downward into a nose dive where it came crashing down onto Weavile that kicked up a large dust cloud, sending debris into the air. It took some time, but the dust cloud eventually cleared, revealing Shiftry who was standing over an unconscious Weavile in a decent sized crater.

Paul cursed mentally as he ran onto the field, into the crater where he kneeled down beside Shiftry. This battle was definitely finished. Scooping up his partner from the field, Paul gave it a silent thanks before returning it to its Poke-ball.

"Hey Paul, nice battle." Gina called out to him, taking her spot beside her Shiftry.

"Yeah...thanks." Paul mumbled out as he climbed out of the crater, sparing Gina one last look before he left. It was clear that Paul wasn't going to show any sportsmanship.

**November 25th – Noon**

**Battle Arena**

Ash dropped down to his knees beside Pikachu with his head hung low. He couldn't think much of what to say at this point as his hat slid off his head.

"Pika..." The small Pokemon said weakly as Ash gingerly slid his arm around it to lift it from the battlefield. It had been a long time since he had lost this badly.

"Don't worry Pikachu, there's always next year." Ash said bitterly, reassuring Pikachu that it had done its absolute best against the monster of a Pokemon they had been battling.

It wasn't even that long of a battle considering they were battling Cynthia and her Garchomp. Not only were a majority of Pikachu's attacks neutralized, but Garchomp was freely launch ground attacks from every possible location of the field. And this could easily be seen based on how heavily damaged the field was. Each hit to Pikachu was devastating, and soon enough Pikachu found itself caught in a corner where it was defeated.

Ash wanted to believe that the type situation was the main cause of the battle, but he couldn't place the blame on Pikachu alone. It fought like a warrior, and Ash knew that he hadn't put in everything he could into this battle. He was off his game.

"Great battle Ash." Cynthia said as she approached him. Ash put on a smile as she neared him, doing his best to cover up his frustration. That was as far from a good battle as you can get.

"Thanks, we'll get you next year." Ash said in reply as he extended one hand toward her. She accepted the handshake before reminding Ash that she was sure to get even stronger by next year.

After the short handshake, Ash turned on his heels and left the field, struggling to contain his agitation over his most recent defeat. It seemed as though they were only getting worse.

**December 2nd – Noon**

**Battle Arena**

"Gallade is unable to battle!" The ref declared loudly for all to hear. "The winner of the battle is Gina and Shiftry!"

Now that the tournament had dwindled down to sixteen students, referees had been installed at each of the fields to properly officiate the battles. Blake and Gina were among the remaining sixteen students, and their battle had become the highlight of the round. Blake had spent the entire battle pushing Gina's tempo, doing whatever he could to irritate her as the battle continued, but Gina persevered.

Next to her battle against Paul, Gina had really been pushed around in this one, and Shiftry was clear proof. The Pokemon dropped down it its bottom, panting as it tried to cool itself through the use of its fan hands.

"Return Gallade." Blake said, recalling his fallen partner.

Blake didn't even look at Gina before he left the field, wearing a cold hard expression until he left the stadium entirely. Then his lips curved upward into a smile once he was sure he was alone.

"Good, now she knows I'm a threat." Blake said with a cackle. This was quickly becoming the most fun he had-had in a while.

**Pokemon Center**

**Cafeteria**

"Aww man, it sucks that all of were eliminated." Ash groaned as he placed his chin on the table, unable to find an appetite to each the tray that was resting in front of him.

"No kidding." Jimmy added with a sigh since he had been removed a while ago under Spruce's orders.

"Come on guys, don't be so down." Blake said in a rather upbeat manner. They usual gang was seated at the table with the exception of Gary who had been missing at the table a lot recently.

"I know, but _all_ of us were knocked out." Dawn restated, matching the mood of the table since she had been knocked out as well, not that she really expected to do well as a coordinator. of got eliminated." Ash groaned, resting his head down on the table, unable to eat the food on his tray.

"And now I don't have anyone to cheer for." May jumped in, receiving a glance from Blake.

"Well excuse me for failing to beat the undisputed champion." Blake replied sarcastically.

"Undisputed..." Paul repeated, getting everyone's attention. "I don't think we can use that anymore."

"Use what?" Ash asked, raising his head.

"Calling Gina the undisputed champ of the Tsugi Academy. Last year she stood alone, but this year she's nearly been beaten by a number of people in the Top 10." Paul explained.

"Well that's because everyone in the Top 10 spent their summer vacation training their butts off." Ash said, recalling the long hours he had put in with Pikachu in the blazing summer heat. "I guess we sort of closed the gap between us and Gina."

"But you also widened between yourselves and the rest of the school." Blake noted, receiving an odd expression from Ash who had tilted his head.

"What you mean?"

"Well I did some checking, last year was filled with with changes among the Top 10, but as of this year, only one change has taken place." Blake went on.

"He's right, none of us have surrendered our Rank to anyone outside of the Top 10 since the end of summer. I guess we really did create a gap." Paul said, giving Blake a nod of agreement.

"So is this gap good or bad for us?" Ash asked, scratching the crown of his head.

"It depends on how you look at it I suppose. Right now there are ten ridiculously strong trainers that stand far above the rest of the school, and as of this year, they're all competing with each other for the top." Blake said, taking a glance at Brock. "Unfortunately, none of them are seniors."

"What's so bad about that?" Drew cut in. "It just shows that how talented you guys are if you can top the most experienced people at this school."

"I won't deny that-that is very impressive, but that's all colleges will see right now. An extremely talent of group of young trainers who they can't recruit until they graduate." Blake went on. "Colleges are only interested in the best seniors so that they can bring them to college in order to represent them."

"They only care about the best of the best. They need to know who to sponsor so that when they do move on to the professional circuit, they're able to get a hand in on the wealth. But if no seniors are present in the Top 10..." Paul trailed off as all eyes fell on Brock.

"Brock, do you know what happened to Nando, the senior Gina knocked out in her sophomore year?" Blake asked. Brock shook his head in reply. "Well most colleges make their decisions about who to recruit based on the condition of the Top 10. If no seniors are present, the might conclude that its just a bad batch and look past you guys. None of you will get into college like this."

"So unless someone fixes the system before the end of this school year, your life will probably be screwed over Brock." Paul stated.

'No college means no job or sponsors. No job or sponsors means no life. No life means no Holly!' Brock exclaimed mentally before he dropped his hand down on the table. "We have to fix this as soon as possible!"

Paul motioned for Blake to lean closer to him, talking to him in a low whisper to ensure that he wasn't heard by anyone else. "Is this what you've been working on since you got here?"

"Yup. Fancy Friday was just a fraction of what I have in mind. Next up is the Winter Dance." Blake replied, flashing his usual grin at Paul.

"Winter Dance?"

**Decemeber 23rd – Lunch**

**Tsugi Academy**

**Auditorium**

The tournament that had been so wrapped with all of the students attention had finally come to a close with Gina Grays as the victor. Her final opponent was Cynthia and her Garchomp, and it was certainly a battle of the ages. It was everything you would want to see in a battle, flashy, explosive with a heart wrenching finish as you sat on the edge of your seat. Despite the clear advantage Garchomp had over Shiftry, the grass type still prevailed under Gina's direction, proving once again why she was held with such high regard in the school.

Once the match was completed, the students were directed to the auditorium for the closing ceremony for the winner of the tournament, and for the second year in a row, Gina found herself standing on the stage before the entire school with a small trophy in hand and camera's flashing all around her.

"And for the second straight year, I want to congratulate Gina Grays on winning this years tournament." Spruce said as he motioned to the girl that was still smiling for the cameras.

These pictures would be going out to all of the major regions for talent scouts, not this meant much to Gina since she had gone through the same procedure last year. Once her photo shoot came to an end, Spruce cleared his throat to regain everyone's attention.

"And I'd like to thank all those who participated this year, I hope to see you take part again next year." Spruce said. "But before I dismiss all of you for the start of your vacation, I'd like to announce that a Winter Dance has been arranged to take place in the Pokemon Center."

The atmosphere of the room seemed to bright up considerably, although it was already upbeat since everyone was excited to begin their vacation.

"A Winter Dance?"

"Awesome!"

"We haven't had one of the those in ages."

"If you have any questions, you can ask the organizer." Spruce said, calling for the freshman to take his spot on the platform. Blake ascended the staircase to the stage with his usual smile until he was standing behind the podium with a microphone where his smile brightened up as if to welcome the questions from the students.

"Any questions?" He asked, and hundreds of hands shot up. Blake simply selected a hand a random, discovering that he had called on a girl.

"What are we going to wear? None of us here keep gowns and suits with us." She pointed out.

"That's already been taken care of." Blake replied. "Once we're finished here, check out the storage room in the Pokemon Center. I think you'll find everyone you need there."

Spruce resisted the urge to twitch as he recalled the amount of money Blake had spent to fund this entire event. He was clearly out his mind.

"What kind of food will there be?" The one and only Ash Ketchum had called out.

"Good food, and lots of it." Blake responded in a deadpan. What kind of party doesn't have food? "It'll be at seven o'clock sharp on the 31st. You're going to miss the _greatest _dance ever, so make sure you show up!"

Before anyone else could raise their hands for questions, Blake walked up to the edge of the stage and jumped up, disappearing into the sea students, leaving Spruce wrap this ceremony up.

"Thank you Blake." He said, glancing up at the clock before giving the students a smile. "I've held you up long enough. You're all dismissed for two weeks. Enjoy your vacation!"

The students cheered as the rushed out of their seats, cramming the exits with bodies as they began their vacation.

**Pokemon Center**

**Storage Room**

"Wow!" Girls squealed as they moved about the large storage room that appeared to be any girl's dream closet. Thousands of dresses and tuxedos hung from long rails with matching shoes tucked beneath each of them to complete ever available outfit.

The guys were a bit slower coming in, but none of them could deny how impressive the suits looked. And there was plenty to choose from to fit everyone's particular tastes. And to top it all off, there was a wall of nothing but accessories with pursues, hats, jewelry. No one should have been able to complain about how they looked at the dance.

Blake entered the storage room, followed closely by Ash, Drew, Brock, Paul and Jimmy. They had agreed to get their suits early after Blake's announcement to avoid being caught in the mad rush that was sure to take place later in the week.

"Blake, how much did each of these cost?" Paul asked as he checked the fabric of one of the suits.

"Roughly a thousand to two thousand dollars each." Blake replied casually as everyone stared at him with wide eyes.

"W-wait, where did you get all the money for this?" Brock exclaimed.

"School budget. Spruce is loaded if you didn't know, he just saves his money for emergencies and repairs, so he's got a lot of money and nothing to do with right now." Blake explained. "If you guys find the bowties, give me a call."

Blake left the group, entering his own little world as he envisioned himself in the perfect attire before starting his hunt for it.

"Jimmy, do you get the feeling this is all apart of some plan he's got." Paul asked, getting a chuckle from Jimmy.

"I'm a hundred percent sure it is."

* * *

><p><strong>Part 9. The Schoolwide Tournament comes to a close with the announcement of the Winter Dance, but as usual, Blake seems to have another crazy plan in mind, and everyone's got a hunch it's going to involve the Winter Dance.<strong>

**Read, review and enjoy. :D**


	10. Winter Dance Pt 1

Part 10

**December 31st**

**Junior Dorms**

**Ash's Room**

"Drew, teach me how to tie this thing!" Ash hollered at his green haired friend who had just entered his room. They were both clothed in the same black tuxedo since they had planned to spend the night together with their girlfriends.

The tuxedo they wore consisted of a white dress shirt with silver cuff links, a checkerboard vest and a black bow tie around their neck, although only Drew's was tied correctly. Over the vest was a black jacket with a white handkerchief in the breast pocket and their shoes were shined to top it all off. Ash had even gone as far as to comb his hair and gel it back while Drew had neatened up his hair for a look that he labeled as 'perfection'.

"There, you're good to go." Drew said, stepping back from Ash to allow him to take a look at himself in the mirror.

"Not bad." Ash said with a grin before Drew pushed his aside. Drew once again checked his hair in the mirror before placing a finger on his chin while making a sizzle sound.

"Damn, I'm too hot to touch." Drew said with a smirk. Ash could only chuckle at Drew's usual behavior, although tonight he had sound reason to admire himself as much as he normally does. "So when are you going to pick up Misty?"

"...Actually, she left for Cerulean City last week on the first day of vacation. I've been calling her all week, but she never picked up. She must be really busy with her sisters." Ash explained.

"Do you think she'll make it for the dance?"

"I'm sure she'll be back in time." Ash said with the utmost confidence in his girlfriend as he straightened his tie in the mirror.

"Alright then, let's get on the move and pick up May. The Dance starts in a half an hour." Drew said, heading for the exit.

"Have you seen May's dress yet?" Ash asked with grin as Drew looked up at the ceiling with a goofy smile.

"She told me it was surprise so I can tell my girlfriend is going to look gorgeous." Drew said as Ash snickered.

"Well let's go then. Pikachu, come on." Ash said, pushing Drew out the door to make sure he couldn't get another look at himself in the mirror. Pikachu leaped off the bed, joining them in the hallway as Ash closed the door.

**May's Room**

"May, we're here to pick you up!" Drew yelled, knocking on the door since it was locked. After a few moments the door opened up for the boys to enter, but they were greeted by the flash from a camera.

"Ugh, oww." Ash groaned, as both he and Drew began to rub their eyes from the unexpected flash. The duo of guys could hear a pair of giggles, proof that this was no accident. Blinking several times, Ash and Drew's vision finally cleared up which allowed them to see Dawn and May standing in the door way, laughing at the expression the boys wore in the picture.

Drew and Ash were ready to voice their complaints, but then they got a better look at the girls as a whole.

May was clothed in a long, strapless evening gown that cut off just above her bustline and stopped above her ankles. The top of the gown that covered her upper torso was covered in small jewels that were mainly made up a teal and tan color. Around her waist was a teal fabric that was held the gown, hugging her figure while the teal colored skirt went down to her ankles. Her hair brown hair was curled and wavy, falling in front her shoulders with a shine.

Dawn wore a cool red, spaghetti strap, knee length dress. The dress cut around her bust in a heart shape, going down her waist and cutting off at her knees, the bottom of the dress possessing ruffles. Below her bust was dark red belt with a rose attached to it. The dress was a venetian red that transitioned to a maroon going down the dress. Dawn's blue hair had been altered by May who insisted she go all out. Now the bluenette's hair was wavy, falling down to her shoulder blades and her bangs were combed to the side to cover half of her forehead while the rest was tucked in behind her right ear.

Both wore pair of diamond earrings, a little bit of eye shadow and red lip stick.

"Boys, close your mouths." May said, snapping Drew and Ash out of their daydream. Drew remained shameless, continuing to stare at his girlfriend, but Ash blushed and averted his gaze from Dawn who also blushed because she had been staring at Ash as well.

While all the things she had liked about Ash were gone appearance wise, Dawn had to admit, Ash looked pretty damn good tonight.

"Come on guys, picture time!" May said, shoving her camera into Dawn's hands, telling her to get a picture of her and Drew.

Boy's only picture, both Drew and Ash striking a pose. Girl's only picture, Ash's finger blocked the lens. Retake, Dawn and May curtsying. Couples, Drew holding May bridal style. Ash and Dawn with their arms interlocked, bright red blushes on their cheeks. Ash's Pikachu and Dawn's Buneary together in a picture. Dawn had given Pikachu a small red bow tie to wear while Buneary was wearing a small silver gown.

"Come on guys, let's go." Drew said, looking down at his watch. Pikachu was first to rush out the room, Buneary chasing after Pikachu while calling out to the Electric Mouse.

"Horray, party time!" May said excited, interlocking her arm with Drew's as they exited her room.

Dawn watched the couple with a small smile before she noticed Ash next to her, with his arm outstretched, motioning for her to the same as May. The bluenette blushed and wrapped her arm around Ash's, following Drew and May out the room to the Winter Dance.

**Pokemon Center**

**Corridors**

"Gee Blake, you really went all out for this dance didn't you?" Marina asked, glancing at the boy that was walking beside Jimmy who gave her nod with a wide smile.

"I had to make the scene was perfect." Blake said, tipping his white fedora at the duo. Blake was even more dressed up than what he had worn for Fancy Friday. He wore a black dress shirt with reflective white vest over and a matching tie. Over this he wore a white jacket and pants to match with a pair of black shoes. Like the rest of the guys, Blake had gelled his hair back, although the white fedora he wore covered most of his hair. His accessories included a black cane for style and a small red rose placed into the stitching of his fedora.

"Perfect?" Marina asked, glancing at Jimmy who shrugged since he didn't know either. "For what?"

"You'll see." Blake said, taking a moment to observe the couple.

Jimmy wore a black jacket and pants, a burgundy, pinstripe dress shirt and a black tie. In the left breast pocket of his jacket was a red handkerchief that Marina had put in since Jimmy didn't know how to fold the small cloth properly. Marina had also insisted that Jimmy do something to his hair, so the boy removed his hat for the night, and combed his bangs to the side, gelling it to keep it that way while gelling the rest of his hair back.

Marina wore a strapless black cocktail dress, starting at her bust line. Covering her entire midriff was a silver fabric that was tightly wrapped around the dress, hugging her frame. The black dress stopped just above her knees, the ruffles around the bottom of the dress giving it a little size. Marina had let her hair that was normally in two pigtails down, and then tied up in a semi large knot behind her head with a trio of roses woven delicately into the knot.

"You guys look good together." Blake commented, recieving a rather dumbfounded expression from Jimmy. He couldn't recall Blake ever complimenting someone so seriously, but Marina reacted like any normal person and thanked Blake with rosy cheeks. "Enjoy yourselves."

With that, Blake left the duo in the hallway, making a left into one of the hallways that led into to the cafeteria.

"Are you ready Marina?" Jimmy asked, looking at his girlfriend who gave him a nod.

"Let's do this." Marina said before a pair of voice called out to the couple. Jimmy and Marina turned around to see Ash, Dawn, May and Drew walking toward in pairs.

"You guys made it." May said happily, releasing her hold on Drew to approaching Marina with Dawn. "Your dress is beautiful Marina."

"And the same to you. You look like a princess tonight May." Marina replied, getting a nod of agreement from Dawn. "And Dawn, your dress is just lovely. You went all out for Ash didn't you."

Marina whispered the latter part of her sentence to Dawn in a teasing manner, causing the girl to turn bright red.

"You should've seen Ash's face when he saw her. He was practically drooling." May said with a laugh, just a bit too loud.

"I was not!" Ash protested with reddened cheeks.

"Yeah you were." Drew said causing Jimmy to chuckle before Ash turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"Like you're one to talk Drew. When you saw May your mouth was open so wide we could fit a Snorlax in it!" Ash shouted at the green haired boy as Jimmy and girls began to laugh at him.

Once the laughter died down, the group made their way into the corridor that led into the cafeteria where the Winter Dance would be taking place.

"Wow!" Dawn said, observing the crowded room. Everything that would say this room was a cafeteria had completely disappeared, being replaced by the perfect dance setting.

A DJ was seated on top a platform in front of the dance floor, tables that could seat about eight people with a white table cloth and pair of candles resting at the center of the table. Along the far wall of the room was long table with a delicious spread of food laid out for the students. The walls had been covered in a wall paper that created a snowy scenery and the ceiling looked like a perfect starry night.

"Food!" Ash shouted, dragging Dawn with him as he made a dash toward the across the room, Dawn's arm still interlocked with his.

"Same old Ash." Drew said, flipping his bangs as May giggled.

"Hey guys." Brock said, greeting the remaining members of the group with a wave. Brock was clothed in a formal gray dress shirt with a glossy silver tie with a pair of black pants, shined dress shoes and an ironed black jacket over his shirt. In the breast pocket of his jacket was a silver colored handkerchief that matched his tie. Brock hadn't done anything to his hair, but the girls had to admit, he did look pretty good.

"Wow Brock, you're looking pretty good tonight. Trying to impress Holly?" May asked teasingly.

"Oh yeah!" Brock shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

"Hey Brock, there's Holly right now." Drew said, pointing of the Senior who could be seen chatting with a group of her friends.

Holly was dressed in a strapless, maroon colored dress. The dress tightly clung to her body down to the waist, and then it opened up with some semi-large ruffles as it went down to her shins. Holly had also taken some time to work on her hair, curling the bangs that framed her the rest of her hair was wavy.

Brock's jaw dropped to the floor when he saw Holly.

"Holly, wait for me!" Brock shouted, skipping over to the girl after he picked up his mouth, the group watching his attempt to try and get a dance with her.

There was scream from Brock as he leaped nearly ten feet in the air, tears streaming down his face.

"I think she said yes." Jimmy noted, getting a nod from the rest of the group as Brock paraded around the Dance floor telling everyone he had a dance partner.

"Come on Jimmy, let's go dance." Marina said, beginning to take a step forward before she was pulled back by Jimmy who refused to move.

"How about we go sit down, or get something to eat." Jimmy offered, trying not to make eye contact with Marina.

"No, let's go dance. Please Jimmy." Marina said with a pout since she couldn't get Jimmy to move no matter what she did. 'Guess I have to use my trump card.'

Puppy dog eyes with a pout. Jimmy jumped back, trying to resist caving in to Marina's ultimate weapon which he had yet to beat.

'Must. Remain. Strong!' Jimmy shouted mentally before giving his girlfriend a blank stare to prove he was immune to her special look. "No."

"Why not?" Marina asked, surprised that Jimmy hadn't given in to the puppy dog eyes. He always gave up if she brought out the puppy dog eyes. Jimmy sighed with slightly reddened cheeks before motioning for her to come closer so that he could whisper it to her. "What do you mean you can't dance?"

Jimmy shushed his girlfriend while clapping his hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Drew and May had heard her.

"Haa! Jimmy can't dance!" Drew shouted with laugh, pointing at his friend who gave him a death glare before May dropped her fist on his head to silence him.

"I wouldn't be laughing Drew since you're not much of dancer either." May said as Drew held his head in pain.

"Drew can't dance. But he told me the two of you took dance lessons over summer vacation." Marina said, receiving a nod from May.

"Yeah, just one though." May replied. "But we didn't go back because-"

"May." Drew said, interrupting his girlfriend to make sure his failure in dance class didn't get out. May stuck her tongue out at him before continuing.

"He stepped on my feet so many times they were swollen the next day." May said as Drew growled at her before his attention was drawn to Jimmy who was suppressing the urge to laugh at Drew.

"What's so funny Jimmy?" Drew asked threateningly.

"Failure." Was all Jimmy said before letting out a howl of laughter at Drew. The green haired Junior lunged at his friend, tackling him to the floor.

"Say that again!" Drew shouted before May grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar, roughly pulling him off Jimmy.

"Drew, quit making a scene." May whispered harshly to her boyfriend who looked around, realizing they had gained a lot of attention for the people standing near them.

Drew simply flipped his hair and led May off to one of the tables to reserve it while Jimmy was dragged toward the dance floor by Marina.

* * *

><p>"Hey Ash?" Dawn said, calling for the attention of the boy that was currently loading his plate with all of food he could fit onto it.<p>

"Yeah Dawn?" He replied, glancing over his shoulder to find Dawn with flushed cheeks. She was shuffling from one foot to another, chewing on her lower lip as though she were a small child with an odd question. Whether Dawn knew how she looked or not, Ash couldn't help but notice that looked adorable.

"Would you…be willing to share a dance with me?" She asked nervously, looking down at her heels. She couldn't find the confidence to look at him directly for his answer. Ash's cheeks darkened a bit as he though about her offer, then he set his plate down.

This got Dawn to look up at him, making eye contact with him where he could clearly see the hope placed within her eyes.

"Gee, I'm sorry Dawn. But I really wanted to give my last dance of the year to Misty." Ash replied, although he felt a pang in his heart as her eyes darkened a bit. For just a moment, she frowned at him before slapping on a bright smile.

"Don't worry Ash, I understand." Dawn said cheerfully. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Ash said confidently.

After eating, Ash conducted his search for Misty, failing to find the orange haired girl in the dining area, by the food table or the corners of the room where several people were conversing with one another. That left the dance floor.

'I doubt she'd be on the dance floor, but no harm in checking.' Ash said as he stepped on the wooden floor that had been set up for dancing.

As he tried to navigate his way through the crowd of people that filled the area, Ash bumped into several couples that were sharing a dance, stepping on someone's foot at least six times, but after disturbing so many people he had found his girlfriend.

Ash was speechless when he saw his girlfriend dressed in cerulean colored knee length dress. It was tight, hugging her figure from her torso down to her hips. Going around the dress in no particular pattern was a silver lining that started from the sides of the bust, traveling down to the end of the dress. Her orange colored hair that Misty had normally kept straightened was now wavy, effortlessly falling down to her shoulder blades where it elegantly moved with each step she took.

Just before Ash called out to her, Ash realized who Misty was currently dancing with. The trademark spiky brown hair was dead give away.

Gary Oak had one hand interlocked with Misty's, the other hand around her waist while her other hand was resting on his shoulder. Like most of the guys, Gary had come dressed in a black suit, but he wore a dark blue dress shirt underneath his jacket with a dark purple tie. In the breast pocket of his jacket was matching handkerchief for the tie.

Ash was tempted to cut it, but then he saw Misty's face, he froze. She was laughing and smiling…with Gary Oak.

'When was last time we she laughed and smiled like that with me?' Ash asked himself before someone bumped into him from behind.

"If you're not dancing then get of the dance floor." A Sophomore said to Ash, snapping him out of his thoughts. Ash gave him a hasty apology and left the dance floor as quickly as he could, finding an empty table to take a moment and think.

'Why's she with Gary?' Ash asked himself. 'I thought she hated Gary after what happed during Sophomore year. So why's she dancing with him right now?'

Ash let out a frustrated sigh, tempted to grab his hair and pull it out, but Drew would kill him if he messed up his hair before the night was over.

'Why would Misty dance, or even talk to Gary?' Ash continued, trying to figure out what was going on. 'Unless…nah, Misty wouldn't do that. She'd never cheat me…would she?'

Ash stared aimlessly into the crowd filling the dance floor, and somehow the crowd seemed to make and opening that allowed him to see Misty and Gary dancing with about a magazine's worth of space between them.

Ash dropped his hand down on the table, rising from his seat. Before he knew it, Ash found himself walking toward the dance floor, but he managed to stop himself, turning away to return to his seat.

'I'm not…jealous. It's not like they're dating or something. They're just dancing as friends.' Ash said before remembering Dawn's offer. 'Right, maybe I can dance with Dawn and then Misty.'

Just as he thought about finding Dawn to accept her offer, he spotted the girl on the dance floor as well, dancing with Conway of all people. But she looked happy as the black haired senior expertly twirled her around.

Ash's mood completely deflated as he rose from his table, deciding he needed to take a quick walk. The raven haired boy was on autopilot as he began to walk; finding himself on one of the balconies that over looked the cafeteria.

Placing his elbows on the railing that was at the border of the balcony, Ash propped up his head on his hands, looking out at the crowd of students, easily spotting both Dawn and Misty who were having a great time with their dance partners.

'I don't get it, I have Misty.' Ash stated simply as he glanced at both girls before looking up at the star covered ceiling. "But why do I feel so lonely?"

Ash spoke in whisper before a small yellow Pokemon that was on the food table spotted its trainer alone on one of the balconies.

"Pika?" The small Electric Mouse asked is trainer after traveling to the balcony Ash was located on. Ash looked at the small Pokemon, inviting it onto his shoulder where he began to scratch it behind its right ear. "Cha~."

"Thanks Pikachu. At least I know I can always rely on you." Ash said quietly to his Pokemon, noticing Blake and Paul who were walking toward the top three female students at the school.

* * *

><p>Blake was having a great night. So far everything had gone according to plan, now all that was left was to start a fight between the Juniors and Sophomores, and he had designed a plan that might or might not get the job done.<p>

"Remember Paul, you have to make this look realistic." Blake whispered to his partner who was dressed just as face as the other males at this Dance. The duo of Paul and Blake were currently observing the group of female Juniors that were seated together, chatting happily, Blake occasionally looking down at his pocket watch to make sure he was timing everything correctly or else his target would be gone before the action started.

Gina, Cynthia and Fiona were seated at one of the circular tables near the corner of the room, each of the clothed in a dress of their choice.

Gina's dress was a bright red, spaghetti strap one piece. Starting at her bust, the long dress traveled down to her ankles with a small parting in the material to allow her to move properly because it clung to figure straight down to her thighs. Both her hands were in pair of red gloves that continued past her wrist and stopped just before her elbows, and her hair had been curled, resting on her shoulders as she spoke with Cynthia and Fiona.

Cynthia wore a strapless yellow dress that cut off just below her knees. The top and bottom of the dress were somewhat different, the top possessing a flora pattern with different shades of yellow while the bottom was one solid yellow. Separating the top and bottom of the dress was yellow fabric with a small belt buckle locking it around her waist. Cynthia's blond hair that was normally let down and wavy had been straightened tonight, allowing it to fall down to her back with ease.

Fiona's was clothed in a dark green cocktail dress that kind of resembled the design of Cynthia's. The top possessed a flora design using different shades of green while the bottom was one solid dark green, a piece of fabric separating the top from the bottom. But unlike the bottom of Cynthia's dress which was straight, Fiona's was ruffled. Her black hair had been tied up in an elaborate knot behind her head and she had applied just a little make up for the Dance.

"Remember Paul, launch me at Gina and Fiona." Blake reminded him as they got into position.

"Right." Paul said before he punched Blake's jaw which sent him stumbling backward toward Gina's table. "Where do you think you're going!"

Paul chased after Blake, hitting him two more times as they continued toward Gina's table, getting the attention of most of the surrounding people. Once they were close enough to Gina's table, the group of girls staring at them awkwardly, Paul gave Blake a hard shove which sent the off balance Blake onto Gina's table where the three girls screamed because he had knocked over their drinks.

Not wasting a moment, Paul grabbed Blake's jacket and slid him across the table toward the opening between Gina and Fiona. Blake smirked at how well his plan went, extending both his arms for the finisher as he moved toward both girls. Grabbing one of the straps to Gina's dress, Blake easily tore it off as he slid off the table while his other arm clothes lined Fiona, knocking her out her seat.

As she hit the floor, Fiona gasped before she found Blake on top of her, his lips on hers with Gina screaming in the back ground.

"Paul? What the hell are you doing!" Cynthia shouted at the purple haired male only to realize he had disappeared moments after he slid Blake across the table.

The whole cafeteria went silent, all except for the loud laughter of Drake and David who had seen the whole thing.

Fiona immediately pushed Blake off her and rose to her feet, glaring at him with a deep blush on her cheeks. Blake smirked at her and gave her a wink before he felt the malice rolling off Gina because he had damaged her dress.

Blake scrambled to his feet, taking off in a dash toward David and Drake to finish his plan.

"The plan was perfect boos, although I didn't plan on the kiss." Blake said once he made it to the laughing duo, saluting to the two of them who couldn't contain their laughter long enough to hear what Blake had said.

"So it was you!" Gina hissed, rising from her seat to walk toward them with Fiona following closely. Both guys were gasping for air and unable to answer which only aggravated Gina more.

After a few moments, David and Drake's had managed to stop laughing and look at the two girls, but then the side of Gina's dress that was missing its strap fell forward revealing her bra which only made the two of the burst into another fit of laughter along with a few others.

Gina immediately covered up with a blush, glaring at the duo while Blake looked past the girls, seeing Paul slip out from underneath the table he had been hiding under the right after he launched Blake at the girls.

'So far so good.' Blake said, focusing on Drake and David again.

"Wait, wait…wait." Drake said, calming their laughter enough for him to talk. He made some kissy noises at Fiona before the two of them began to laugh again.

"Shiftry." Gina said, releasing her partner.

"Feraligatr." Fiona said, releasing her partner as well.

David and Drake's laughing came to a stop when they found themselves drenched in water, curtsey of Fiona's Feraligatr.

"Oh, so you want a Pokemon battle?" Drake asked, rising to his feet now that his hair and suit had been ruined.

"So be it." David said as the two of them released their Pokemon as well, Alakazam and Dragonite appearing behind their respective trainers.

'Perfect.' Blake said, flashing his sinister smile. 'Let the Winter Dance begin!'

* * *

><p><strong>And so begins the Winter Dance with Blake's plan beginning to take action.<strong>

**Please Review, tell me if the description of the dresses and suits were understandable, confusing, give me something to work with. And I'm very grateful to all the people that review that last chapter. It may have only been a few, but I really appreciate it. :D**

**Enjoy your day!**


	11. Winter Dance Pt 2

Part 11

**Pokemon Center**

**Cafeteria**

The large room that was once a grand party for all students attending the Tsugi Academy had been divided right down the middle of the room at the appearance of four Pokemon.

A Shiftry, Feraligatr, Dragonite and an Alakazam. Each of these Pokemon are feared in the Tsugi Academy for their strengths, and now that it looked like an all out battle was about to begin between these Pokemon. Freshman and Seniors were leaving the cafeteria for their own safety while Juniors and Sophomores remained to see how the battle would go, cheering for those representing their grade level.

Gina and Fiona stood on one side, their Pokemon in front of them. David and Drake were on the opposite side, their partners out and ready to battle.

Both Gina and Fiona were furious, most of their anger directed at Blake, but now it seemed like he was allied with David and Drake which meant now was the time to punish to Sophomores and _then_ get Blake.

"Feraligatr, use Dragon Claw!" Fiona ordered, pointing at Drake's Dragonite. The large alligator Pokemon growled as its hands become engulfed in purple flames which it held out.

Without wasting a moment, the Gator Pokemon rushed at Dragonite with an unexpectedly high speed, both its arms outstretched as it prepared to attack.

"Knock it away Dragonite." Drake ordered, glaring at the two girls that had already ruined his night.

Drake and Fiona were known for having the two largest Pokemon in the Top 10, but the two had yet to meet in battle which now had the attention of the remaining Juniors and Sophomores that were still in the cafeteria.

As Feraligatr neared Dragonite, the Dragon type Pokemon lashed out with its tail to stop Feraligatr, but instead of taking a full hit to its torso, Feraligatr caught Dragonite's tail, tightly holding onto it. Dragonite roared from the burning sensation on its tail caused by Feraligatr's hands.

"Shiftry, get Dragonite with Dark Pulse." Gina said, pointing at the growling dragon that was being held back by Feraligatr. The Dark type Pokemon rose both its hands, a black orb with a purple outline forming in between its hands which was fired toward the two of them, aimed to curve around Feraligatr and hit Dragonite.

"Alakazam, block it with Signal Beam and then follow with Dynamic Punch!" David shouted, Alakazam thrusting both its spoons forward to fire a dark yellow beam of light at the approaching sphere of dark energy.

The two attacks met, the Signal Beam quickly overpowering the Dark Pulse and sending it flying into the far wall of the room where it exploded on impact, putting a semi large hole in the wall with debris falling down onto the long table that had the large spread of food on it.

Students standing near the table yelled and screamed as food, plates, glasses and liquids went flying in the air above them, most of these objects landing on them.

'Perfect, time to move before my target leaves the area.' Blake said to himself as he disappeared into the crowd of observers, heading for the closest exit in the cafeteria.

"Alright Dragonite, break away with Agility!" Drake shouted to his partner who was glaring intensely at the Gator Pokemon. For a second the stand off became completely still before Feraligatr lost its grip on Dragonite's tail, the large Pokemon flickering out of sight. "You're not the only who has a big Pokemon with some speed."

Fiona glared at Drake who made a kissy face her.

"Feraligatr, use Hydro Pump on Drake!" Fiona hissed, pointing at the boy who paled as the gator obeyed its command. Diving to his left, Drake barely managed to avoid the cannon of water that was fired at him, but the crowd of Sophomores behind him didn't fare as well against the water.

"Dragonite, get it with Dragon Rush!" Drake ordered as he rested on his side, his partner racing around the room at an unseen speed.

"Feraligatr, counter with Dragon Claw!" Fiona ordered, attempting to track Dragonite as it flew around the room. The Gator Pokemon's hands lit up in purple flames again as it roared before Dragonite appeared directly in front it, coated in a light blue aura.

Putting out both its hands, Feraligatr managed to halt Dragonite's attack for a few moments which surprised everyone in the room. Fiona allowed a small smirk to form on her face. The special strength training they had focused on for the past month had paid off greatly.

"Now take it down!" Fiona shouted, pointing at the floor while Feraligatr roared. Everyone stared in shock as all of the muscles in Feraligatr's arms seemed to double in size before it flipped Dragonite to its right, smashing it head first onto the wooden dance floor, the heavy Dragon Pokemon breaking straight through it. "Attack!"

With its Dragon Rush fading, Dragonite appeared to be helpless with Feraligatr on top of it, its right hand raised and poised for a deadly hit.

"Alakazam, Energy Ball!" David ordered, as Alakazam turned to aim at Feraligatr. A green orb with a yellow core formed in front of it which was launched at Feraligatr who failed to notice the attack in time.

The Gator Pokemon was ripped off of Dragonite by the super effective attack, being sent flying into the dining area where it landed on one of the tables, its weight breaking the table with ease.

**Pokemon Center**

**Roof**

A lone student stood on the roof of the Pokemon center, staring up at the night time sky. Clothed in a black tuxedo with his black hair gelled back, Anthony, Rank 6 of the Tsuji Academy sighed in boredom. A cream skinned male Junior that was probably the best in the school when it came to close range fighting; whether it was a Pokemon battle or a fist fight.

The Winter Dance turned out to be everything he expected, dull, boring and filled with people who were here because they had nothing better to do on New Year's Eve. The only reason he was here was because Mark had insisted that he come, but his friend 'conveniently' wound up on the dance floor while he was awkwardly standing in a corner.

After an hour he had become fed up of it and left, deciding that the roof would be a much better place to be than in a crowded room. Standing beside him was a Pokemon native only to the Sinnoh Region, the Aura Pokemon known as Lucario.

"The moon's looking pretty good tonight, right Lucario?" Anthony asked his partner who's ears rose up which meant it sense an approaching aura. "Someone's coming?"

Lucario nodded with a grunt.

"It's Mark, right?"

Lucario shook its head as the door the leading out to the roof opened, revealing Blake who wore a large smirk.

"Good evenin' mate." Blake said with an odd accent which left Anthony with a questioning expression on his face. "I'd like to challenge you to a battle."

Anthony couldn't deny the fact that he was bored, and a battle sounded like the most appealing thing in the world the moment.

"Hell yeah." He said as Lucario dropped into a fighting stance, waiting for its opponent to appear.

"Perfect. I, Blake, a Freshman of the Tsuji Academy formally challenge you to an official one on one Pokemon battle." Blake said, pointing at Anthony with his cane.

"And I, Anthony Kenkins, a Junior, accept your challenge to a one on one Pokemon battle." Anthony finished, the internal systems in the school beginning to record the battle that was about to take place.

"Gallade, let's go." Blake said, removing Gallade's Poke-ball from his pocket to release the Pokemon on to the roof to begin their battle. "Anthony Kenkins, Rank 6 in the in the Tsugi Academy. You're unmatched when it comes to close combat, even better than Gina. But sadly, the two matches you beat her in were unofficial which resulted in no gain for you."

Anthony gave Blake and odd stare, wondering how this Freshman was spitting out all this information on him like it was common sense.

"Gina may not be able to beat you at close range, but I bet I can." Blake stated in a matter of fact tone, gaining a smile from Anthony.

"We'll see about that." He said. "Lucario, use Force Palm."

Lucario grunted before it burst forward at a high speed, closing in on Gallade.

"Gallade, engage with Poison Jab!" Blake ordered, receiving a nod from Gallade. The Psychic type rose both its hands over its head, both of them gaining a purple aura before it rushed toward Lucario, meeting at halfway.

The two Pokemon greeted each other with a fast jab to the others face, neither flinching from the hit. Lucario was first to follow up, turning its entire body to throw a low punch aimed for Gallade's lower torso.

Gallade blocked the blow with its forearm, returning with a wide hook which Lucario ducked under, but Gallade continued to spin on its heel, dropping down to a crouch where it attempted to sweep Lucario off its feet. Lucario jumped, performing a front flip while extending its right leg.

Landing a hard drop kick to Gallade's head, Lucario sent the Blade Pokemon to the ground head first with a loud thud.

"Lucario, finish it!" Anthony ordered as Lucario landed in front of Gallade, readying its right paw for use, electrical sparks beginning to jump of its hand.

"Gallade, block it." Blake ordered. Anthony questioned how the downed Gallade would block the attack from above, but that was answered when Lucario's opened palm hit a protective barrier of Psychic energy surrounding Gallade. "Now get it with Night Slash!"

Lucario instinctively jumped back as Gallade lashed out with its left arm that was coated in a layer of black energy, aiming to hit the Aura Pokemon's leg.

As Lucario landed, Gallade rose to its feet, extending its elbows to show that it was serious now.

'Hmm, I've never seen a Psychic type do something like that, but then again we don't fight that many Psychic types so I better stay focused.' Anthony said, observing Blake's Gallade. "Lucario, he's good, so we're getting serious to."

"Lu." Lucario responded, clapping its hands together. A blue aura appeared around Lucario, its ears rising so that it was parallel to the ground.

"Use Force Palm and Blaze Kick!" Anthony said with a wide smirk. Lucario separated its hands, sparks beginning to fly out of its of its palms while both its feet became engulfed in orange flames. "Go!"

Lucario disappeared. Gallade's eyes widened while Blake narrowed his, beginning to squint before he suddenly widened his as well. Lucario appeared in front of Gallade where it landed a rising palm strike to the Blade Pokemon's chin.

Gallade was lifted from the ground from the blow, landing flat on its back with a thud. Lucario remained where it was standing, Blake observing the Pokemon closely to see if there were any negative side effects to using so much aura to boost its strength.

Gallade got back on its feet again, giving Lucario a hard stare.

"Gallade, time for our offense. Use Double Team with Night Slash and Leaf Blade. Go!" Blake said, receiving a nod from his partner. Gallade raised both its arms above its head, the inside of its forearms becoming an emerald green while the outside became a sinister black.

'Two attacks at once, he's definitely going to try something.' Anthony said before smiling. "Lucario, let's go!"

The Aura Pokemon burst forward as second time, racing toward Gallade who readied itself for the attack.

"Gallade, your left!" Blake said suddenly. The Blade Pokemon raised its left arm, intercepting Lucario's open palm with the black side of its forearm. "Get it!"

As one of Lucario's feet touched the ground, the Aura Pokemon immediately jumped away, surprised that its attack had been blocked. Without any orders, Lucario disappeared again, continuing its offense.

'What?' Anthony exclaimed. 'Lucario's speed should be too hard for the naked eye to follow!'

"Gallade, behind you!" Blake shouted. A flaming roundhouse kick passed through Gallade, the taller Pokemon disappearing from sight. Gallade appeared behind Lucario, its right arm poised to strike Lucario's neck.

Lucario ducked, barely managing to avoid the attack before it met with Gallade's shin in a hard snap kick to its side which sent is sliding across the roof.

'H-He shouldn't be able to track Lucario's movements with just his eyes.' Anthony exclaimed mentally which gained a loud cackle from Blake.

"You're wondering how I knew where Lucario was going to attack from aren't you?" Blake asked tauntingly with a smirk. Anthony grit his teeth angrily, lost for words since Blake had practically read his mind.

Blake only cackled at Anthony's silent response, tapping the ground with his cane.

"What's wrong Anthony?" Blake asked tauntingly.

"Grr, Lucario attack!" Anthony ordered, pointing at Gallade's who's stare had never left Lucario. The Aura Pokemon jumped to its feet and rushed toward Gallade again.

Swatting away a simple jab from Lucario to start off the exchange, Gallade failed to block a flaming snap kick to the side of its torso. The Blade Pokemon grunted from hit but remained strong, using this opening to land fast swipe to Lucario's open torso.

Lucario flinched from the hit, giving Gallade a good opportunity to perform a sweep kick with its right leg that put Lucario on its bottom. Shifting to its right leg, Gallade lashed out at Lucario who was seated on the floor with the back of its left leg, hitting the Aura Pokemon clean across the face which sent it to the ground with a hard thud.

Anthony remained silent, trying to cool off since he was already becoming irrational and Lucario was paying the price for it.

Blake and Gallade were obviously opponents he couldn't take lightly, and by the looks of it they were at least on par with Lucario in close range combat, but that didn't mean that they were fighting at full power at the moment.

Anthony inhaled deeply, running his left hand through his hair before he smiled.

"You're pretty good, I wasn't expecting anyone to be as good as me when it came to close range fighting like this." Anthony complimented Blake which gained a thanks from the Freshman. "But let's see how good you are facing off with Lucario at its full strength."

"Lu?" The Aura Pokemon asked, looking back at its trainer.

"Yep, all of it!" Anthony declared, throwing his hands up into the air.

Lucario smirked and clapped its hands together again. Its ears pointed straight up at the dark sky as the field of blue aura surrounding it doubled in size.

Blake gave Lucario an idle stare, closely observing the Aura Pokemon for any weaknesses that came with such a large aura output.

"Gallade, get ready." Blake said, taking off his fedora with a smirk.

**Cafeteria**

"Shiftry, get them with Leaf Storm!" Gina said calmly as Fiona stepped up next to her.

"And Feraligatr, use Hydro Pump!" Fiona added, creating a combination attack.

"Alakazam, Signal Beam!" David ordered, pointing at the Shiftry and Feraligatr that were preparing to attack.

"Dragonite, take them down with Heat Wave!" Drake shouted, the Dragon Pokemon roaring.

The four attacks were fired from the respective Pokemon, the strong blast of water becoming surrounded by the cyclone of leaves from Shiftry. The dark yellow Signal Beam from Alakazam began to circle around the continues red wind from the large dragon Pokemon as the two combination attacks neared each other.

They met with the screams of onlookers as the flaming leaves flew out in all directions, lighting table cloths and most of the decorations on fire.

Up on the balcony, Ash was tightly gripping the railing, observing the battle intently. He wanted to join in just to get his mind off Misty and Gary.

It would be a blast to jump into the fray with Pikachu, even if he lost, Ash just wanted to have a good battle at the moment, but of course a full head of orange hair leaving the room with a brunette caught his attention.

Squinting, Ash focused his vision on the area to see a cerulean color dress which meant it was Misty, leaving with Gary.

'Where's she going?' Ash asked himself, beginning to go down the stairs, planning to follow his girlfriend. "Pikachu, let's go."

The small Electric Mouse perked up, following its trainer down the staircase using the railing.

"Pika?" It asked, taking a small leap so that it was on Ash's shoulder as the teenage boy reached the bottom of the staircase.

"We're going to follow Misty. I need to talk to her." Ash replied.

**Pokemon Center**

**Lobby**

"Boy, it was getting pretty dangerous in there." Gary commented, receiving a nod of agreement from Misty. The red head used her left hand to moving a few loose strands of hair from in front her face before she felt a large hand grab the wrist of her right hand.

Glancing over her shoulder, Misty found her one and only boyfriend holding her wrist with an almost desperate look in his eyes.

"Ash?" Misty said as Gary groaned inwardly.

"Misty, I thought you were in Cerulean City." Ash began as he released his hold in her wrist.

"Yeah, I was. But you know my sisters. They found out about the Winter Dance and insisted I get back in time." She explained calmly before taking the material of her dress in two fingers. "They even helped me pick out a dress before I left."

"Wait, why didn't you call me? We could've came to the Dance together?" Ash inquired, tilting his head to the side slightly as Misty turned around to face him completely.

"Well I just got back today Ash, I finally got to my dorm this evening at that left me with just enough time to fix my hair and change into my dress. As I was leaving my room to find you I bumped into Gary and he offered to take me to the Dance to meet up with you." She responded.

Ash glanced at his childhood friend and rival in a deadpan before returning his gaze to Misty.

"Besides Ashy-boy, I saw you come in with that blue haired Sophomore." Gary chimed in with a smirk.

"Blue haired?" Misty said as picture formed in her mind. "You came with Dawn?"

"Well yeah, I thought you would be in Cerulean City so I decided to go with her." Ash replied casually before noticing the slowly developing scowl on his girlfriends face. "As friends."

"That doesn't change anything. You picked her over me again!" Misty said angrily, pointing an accusing finger at Ash who leaned back a bit to avoid having her finger being pressed against his forehead.

"But Misty, you didn't reply to any of my texts or calls so I thought that you wouldn't be back in time." Ash explained desperately, trying to cool her growing anger. "And it wasn't even a date, she needed someone to walk in with and so did I so we just hooked up."

"But why her? She's nothing but a bimbo that can't keep her hands off-" Misty began before Ash cut her off with a low growl.

"Misty. Quit calling her that." Ash hissed at her with venom in his voice. "She hasn't done a thing to deserve that kind of treatment from you."

"She's been trying to steal you from me since we got together last year!" Misty replied indignantly. "I can't let her do that."

"So then why are you with Gary?" Ash asked, turning the tables.

"Ash Ketchum, are accusing me of cheating on you!" Misty shouted, a silent pause setting in as Gary watched the duo.

Ash was about to reply in an outburst but bit his tongue to stop himself. 'This will only get worse if I keep this argument going.'

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Just forget everything I said Misty, forget all of it."

"And why should I? You just accused me of cheating on you. Do you know how I feel right now Ash, do you?" She said, giving him a harsh glare.

"No." Ash mumbled out after a pause, trying to hold himself back from going into a rant. "I don't, I'm truly sorry for accusing you of cheating on me. I know you'd never cheat on me Misty, and to apologize, I'd like to take you out on a date in January."

Misty's glare wavered as she thought about his offer. After at least a full minute of silence, a silence that was practically choking Ash, she finally spoke.

"Sure." She said simply. Ash sighed audibly, obviously relieved that Misty seemed to have calmed down. "Just stop by my dorm when you have a plan laid out."

"Yeah, better treat her nice Ashy-boy." Gary added as he began to stroll toward the exit of the lobby.

Misty gave him one final look before following Gary out the Pokemon Center which left Ash alone where he sighed inwardly. Pikachu rubbed its head against Ash's cheek, trying to comfort its training who took a seat on one of the seats in the lobby.

'Boy, it seems like the longer this goes on, the harder it is to keep her happy.' Ash said inwardly before the screams of the other students in the cafeteria gained his attention.

He wanted to go back and see the rest of the battle, but his mood was ruined, it seemed like nothing could cheer him up right now.

"Let's go for a walk Pikachu." Ash said, receiving a nod from his partner.

**Roof**

"Gallade, are you okay?" Blake asked, standing next to his injured Pokemon that was resting on one knee, trying to catch its breath.

"Gal." It replied, looking toward Anthony and Lucario who wore small smiles since it appeared that victory had been sealed for them.

"Just give up Freshman. Your Gallade can't continue." Anthony said.

The Aura Pokemon standing next to Anthony still possessed an enlarged field of blue aura surrounding it that boosted its speed and power to levels that were easily beyond Gallade. With this much of an advantage over Gallade, Lucario gave the Blade Pokemon a one sided beating for the past ten minutes, but Gallade refused to give up.

"Well Gallade, I believed you mastered this move so its time to reveal the fruits of our training." Blake said, motioning for Gallade to stand up straight which it did. "First, use Recover."

Gallade crossed its arms in front its chest, its body beginning to flow in a faint white light as its bruises began to shrinking, fading away but not completely.

"Next, use Swords Dance." Blake ordered calmly as Lucario and Anthony watched with mild interest since he had ordered this multiple times before but they still crushed him easily in the previous exchanges.

Gallade's forearms and extended elbows became glossy, reflecting lights as its attack stat was boosted once again.

"And now use Agility." Blake added, giving a raised eyebrow from Anthony. Blake didn't tell Gallade to use Agility once during that battle so this was new.

The Blade Pokemon seemed to flicker once, remaining where it was standing before Lucario was sent flying backward by an unseen force.

"Huh?" Anthony exclaimed out loud, obviously confused. Gallade couldn't land a single hit on Lucario since he gave the Aura Pokemon the order to go at full strength, but now it looked like Blake had been hiding a secret weapon again.

"Gallade, uses Poison Jab with Night Slash." Blake commanded as his partner remained where it was standing, its hands becoming engulfed in a purple aura while its forearms became a sinister black.

Anthony looked back at his Lucario, seeing it rise to its feet again before eight images of Gallade appeared around the Aura Pokemon. Lucario looked around at the imagers surrounding it with a glare. Instead of lashing out haphazardly, Lucario took a moment to close its eyes and focus on the images with its aura to identify which one was the real Gallade.

'Nice Lucario.' Anthony said mentally before Lucario's eyes snapped open. The Fighting type Pokemon lashed out at the closest image of Gallade with a high kick for its neck, but its leg effortlessly passed through the Blade Pokemon, surprising both Lucario and Anthony.

Before Lucario could land on the ground, it took a solid blow to its face which sent in tumbling backward.

'What?' Anthony exclaimed, his eyes wide. 'If Lucario sensed its aura, then that should've been the real Gallade…unless it managed to dodge the attack.'

Lucario grit its teeth, resting on its stomach as it stared at the images of Gallade surrounding it.

"Lucario, be careful. It's gotten even faster." Anthony called out to his partner who gave him a quick nod before jumping to its feet, beginning to focus its aura on Gallade again.

"Gallade, go on a full offense and show me the speed you've been working on." Blake said with a cackle as his partner grunted before it disappeared from sight.

Lucario gasped as Gallade's aura seemed to disappear. Opening its eyes, the Aura Pokemon began to look around frantically which was a bad sign to Anthony before a gust of wind from in front of it gained its attention. Looking down, Lucario found Gallade in front of it in a crouch before it was sent into air by a powerful kick to its torso from Gallade.

"Lucario!" Anthony shouted, watching his Pokemon float in the air for a few seconds before Gallade appeared beneath it, landing a second kick to its back that sent it even higher into the air.

Without any orders from Blake, Gallade appeared beneath Lucario once more, kicking it a third time to raise its altitude once more before the Blade Pokemon appeared above it, the inside of its forearm becoming turning black while the outside including its elbows became a neon pink.

Dropping both its arms onto Lucario's torso, their was flash of pink light before Anthony and Blake spotted the two of them descending toward the roof at a high velocity, Gallade forcibly keeping Lucario beneath it to land on top the Aura Pokemon. There was a loud thud as Lucario and Gallade hit the roof, creating a spider web of cracks in the roof on impact.

Gallade jumped back, landing a few feet in front of Blake as the blue aura surrounding Lucario dispersed, the Aura Pokemon groaning as it stared up at the sky, a huge bruise on its stomach where Gallade has just hit it.

"Lucario, are you okay?" Anthony shouted, running over to his partner who growled at him as he tried to help it up. Pushing Anthony away, Lucario gained its footing by itself, glaring at Gallade and Blake.

Gallade remained stoic while Blake cackled behind it, waiting to see if the battle could progress any further.

"Lu." The Fighting type Pokemon said to Anthony, getting a surprised look from its owner.

"We haven't practiced it enough, but if you want to win that badly go ahead. Channel all the aura you have left into your hands and feet." Anthony said, Lucario giving him a nod and a smirk before shutting its eyes again. Both its hands and only its left foot became engulfed in a blue aura. "Now use Force Palm and Blaze Kick!"

'That again?' Blake said, watching Lucario's hands gain an electrical charge while its left foot became surrounded in orange flames.

"Now use Aura Sphere!" Anthony said, giving Blake a small smile as Lucario put its hands put, about ten inches of space between its hands.

A small blue orb formed in between its hands, growing in size before Lucario swept its hand across the sphere which transferred the electrical charge to the orb while giving it a sideways spin. Lucario stepped back a bit from the Aura Sphere which remained floating in the air. Taking a small jump, Lucario performed a wide roundhouse kick, smashing its left foot into the Aura Sphere as if it were a soccer ball, the ball of energy becoming enflamed with sparks flying out of it.

The Aura Sphere was sent speeding toward Gallade who was still stoic, Blake staring at the approaching orb intently.

"Gallade, use a reverse Psycho Cut to steer it back a Lucario." Blake said calmly, his faithful partner following his command.

Raising its left arm so that it was parallel to the ground, Gallade focused a large about of Psychic energy into its forearm to create a large pink crescent in front of itself, the points of the crescent pointing toward Lucario.

Anthony was shocked to see the Aura Sphere he and Lucario had spent so much time developing roll right around the crescent before being launched back Lucario twice as fast as the Aura Pokemon had kicked it.

The sphere exploded on impact, flames flying out first followed by a circular pulse of electricity before ending with a flash of blue light. Once the light faded, the group of three found Lucario resting on the ground on its back, a pair of black swirls replacing its eyes.

"Anthony Kenkins and Lucario. Defeated by Blake and Gallade." The Tsugi Academy internal system said as Blake moved up a Rank.

"No way, h-how'd you stop that Aura Sphere?" Anthony asked.

"Actually, we shouldn't have been able to stop it, if your Lucario didn't put a spin on it." Blake replied, placing his fedora on his head again, tipping it back a bit. "If it wasn't for that spin, it would've had enough destructive force to bust through our defense, but we would've dodged it anyway."

"The spin?"

"Yeah, the spin is what allowed us to redirect it because the option of change its direction was open. You designed it to by pass defenses, but that is its one weakness. It has more than enough power to break through any defenses so the spin in unnecessary." Blake explained before giving him a thumbs up and a smirk. "But other than that, it was good back. Let's do that again some time."

With that, Blake made his exit, followed closely by Gallade who still just as stoic as ever, leaving Anthony to return Lucario to its Poke-ball.

Once they were in the corridor, Blake turned to Gallade to observe its left forearm that had been charred black and was currently numb from the strong zap of electricity that had hit it for only a few moments. Just brushing his index finger across it caused Gallade to wince and withdraw its arm from Blake.

"That move, it's incredibly dangerous, isn't it?" Blake asked, receiving a nod from Gallade. "Looks like this script will be the best one yet."

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><p><strong>Part 11. The Winter Dance continues as Blake challenges Anthony and successfully takes his Rank while the students in the Top 5 have a face off of their own. But during all this, trouble seems to brewing in Ash's romantic life.<strong>

**Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter and keep reviewing, the critism is helpful and its making me work harder on each chapter I put out.**


	12. A Complication

**Disclaimer : I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters created for it.**

**Anyway, short note at the beginning of the chapter for a change. If any of you are wondering, I do read the reviews I get and I'm very appreciative, and you've all me been telling me why this story doesn't receive as many reviews as it should. Develop Ash and Dawn's relationship more and make Ash a bit stronger.**

**Both those things will come in due time, and this chapter is just the beginning of that stage...so, you may read.**

* * *

><p>Part 12<p>

**Cafeteria**

"Garchomp, intercept Dragonite with Dragon Rush!" Cynthia shouted, releasing her Pokemon to join the steadily growing battle. Other trainers in the Top 10 had jumped into the battle like Jimmy who had joined Drake and David while Paul had taken sides with Gina and Fiona.

Now Cynthia had jumped in as well, seeing that Dragonite was about to score a huge hit on Gina's Shiftry that was lying flat on its back after taking a hit from Jimmy's Typholision. Dragonite was currently plummeting toward Shiftry, surrounding in a blue aura.

Garchomp burst forward, the large fins that extended from its wrist becoming a dark purple. Just before Dragonite came into contact with Shiftry, Garchomp tackled it from its left, preventing Dragonite from crashing down on to Shiftry, sending it sliding across the dance floor.

"Rah!" Garchomp roared as it charged toward Dragonite who had come to a stop, resting on its back.

"Alakazam, keep Garchomp away with Dynamic Punch and Teleport!" David commanded, watching the Psychic type Pokemon leap into the air where it disappeared.

As Garchomp neared Dragonite, prepared to attack Dragonite with its fins, Alakazam appeared above Garchomp with glowing fists, landing a hard hammer fist to its head which sent it to the floor head first. Alakazam teleported onto Garchomp's back, beginning to beat away at the Dragon type Pokemon's back.

"Shiftry, get Alakazam with Leaf Storm!" Gina shouted.

"Typholision, intercept with Blast Burn!" Jimmy ordered as he and his partner jumped into Shiftry's attack path, the flames on Typholision's back doubling in size.

Shiftry clapped its hands together, a cyclone of leaves bursting out of its wrists, rushing toward Jimmy and Typholision. The Fire type Pokemon opened its mouth with a roar, producing a sphere of highly condensed golden flames.

As the Blast Burn disappeared inside the Leaf Storm, a tinted red field expanded from the sphere, incinerating the leaves in an instant as they entered the area of intense heat.

"Shiftry, move!" Gina yelled, motioning for the Pokemon to move from the approaching super effective attack that would either finish off Shiftry or cause massive damage.

Shiftry ended its Leaf Storm attack before diving to its side, barely managing to escape getting hit by the Blast Burn attack.

"Move, move!" Someone shouted when the remaining students realized no one would be canceling out the Blast Burn attack that was headed toward them. The students scrambled out of the way, managing to avoid the Fire type attack, but the dangerously powerful flames crashed into the walls of the room, lighting numerous tables and decorations in flames.

"Weavile, get Typholision with Crush Claw!" Paul said, watching the dual type Pokemon burst forward, racing toward Typholision.

"Dragonite, use Heat Wave!" Drake said, pointing toward Weavile that was sprinting toward Typholision who had to take a few moments to regain the energy lost from using Blast Burn.

"Shiftry, use Dark Pulse!" Gina ordered, pointing toward Dragonite, planning to have the orb of Dark energy divert the Heat Wave away from Weavile for it to complete its attack.

"Alakazam, deflect the Dark Pulse with Dynamic Punch!" David added, throwing Alakazam into the growing mix of attacks.

"Feraligatr, stop Alakazam with Dragon Claw!" Fiona shouted, pointing toward Alakazam that's attention had now shifted toward Shiftry who was charging up the Dark Pulse.

As Shiftry fired the orb, Alakazam teleported off Garchomp's back, appearing in the Dark Pulse's path where it slapped away the orb with its glowing right hand, but as the Psychic type focused on Shiftry, Feraligatr lunged at it from its right, ready to slash it with its flame covered claws.

Weavile came skidding to a halt as the Heat Wave attack swirled around it, cutting off its path to Typholision.

"Gengar, Porygon-Z and Gardevoir, use Pyschic." A voice shouted as a blue outline formed around all of the Pokemon that were in battle, freezing the entire battle. An airborne Feraligatr was just a few inches from tearing apart Alakazam, Weavile had been protected from the intense heat and the Dark Pulse had been frozen as well to prevent it from causing anymore damage to the room.

Everyone's attention was directed to the biggest entrance of the cafeteria where a very angry Principal Spruce stood with his three Psychic type Pokemon standing beside him.

"All of you, return to you're dorms at once." He said sternly, his voice being heard by everyone in the silent cafeteria.

Everyone begin to file out quietly, but as the seven students who had been battling tried to return their Pokemon, Spruce called out to them.

"Except for you. All of you take a seat, we need to talk." Spruce said, pointing toward one of the few area's the room that hadn't suffered from any collateral damage.

* * *

><p>"So how was your date?" Blake asked with a smirk, approaching the brunette that was seated on one of the benches near the Junior Dorms. Gary Oak focused his gaze toward Blake, giving him a glare.<p>

"You bastard. You told me Ash wasn't going to the Dance." Gary said, rising from his seat. Blake began to cackle, causing Gary's glare to increase in intensity.

"Heh. I guess he changed his mind." Blake said with a smile.

'Why you little…I can't believe I listened to this guy after everything I've seen him do at this school so far.' Gary said, mentally face palming himself for this mistake.

"Yeah Gary. You shouldn't have listened to me. As far as you know, I could be the most the reliable person in the world, or the biggest deceiver that you'll meet." Blake said, dropping his smile to give Gary a serious look.

"Biggest…deceiver?" Gary repeated, giving Blake an odd stare which the Freshman mimicked.

"What's wrong Gary?" Blake asked, allowing a smirk to form on his face.

"Nothing. Everything's fine." Gary said with his usual smirk. "Tell Ashy-boy I said good luck with his date."

Blake watched the Junior retreat into the Dorms, leaving Blake outside alone.

'Hmm, Gary Oak. What are you hiding?' Blake asked himself, running down a list of possibilities. 'For now, I'll just watch.'

**Pokemon Center**

**Cafeteria**

"I can't believe all of you would go so far as the ruin this event that cost so much money!" Spruce shouted at the group that was seated at two different tables, Juniors at one table, Sophomores at the other. "Don't you have any respect for the other students that came to enjoy New Year's Eve?"

"It's because of that Freshman." Fiona mumbled under her breath, gaining Spruce's attention. Fiona was not a hot headed girl as far as Spruce could tell, so there must've been at the very least a decent reason why this battle had taken place.

"What Freshman?" Spruce asked, looking around the group.

"He ruined by dress and kissed Fiona before running over to those two saying 'mission complete boss'." Gina explained, pointing toward David and Drake who snickered at the recap of the mishap earlier tonight.

"So you guys told this Freshman to do that?" Spruce asked, turning to the pair of Sophomores.

"No." Drake said, putting his hands up in defense.

"We saw the whole thing and cracked up. I couldn't even deny what he said because I was laughing so hard." David added as Gina and Fiona's cheeks flushed red.

"So you didn't order this Freshman to do that." Spruce said, picturing the scenario.

"No we didn't, but before we could explain ourselves were drenched in water by someone's Feraligatr." Drake said, looking toward Fiona who glared at him.

"And that's where it all started." Spruce said. "So who was this Freshman and do you have any idea why he'd do that?"

"That Freshman was Blake." Paul said, locking his gaze with Spruce as everyone looked toward him. "We got into a fight near the girls when he made a comment about my brother. I was really pissed off and I wound up slamming him down onto the table the girls were sitting at. I slid him across the tables at the girl, but that's when I realized I launched him straight at Fiona."

Everyone at both tables knew of Paul's late brother, and the dangers that came with talking about Reggie when Paul was around.

"I don't know why, but he instead of continuing the fight, he ran over to Drake and David." Paul said, looking at Spruce who had backed down at bit just as Blake had said he would.

"Blake huh…" Spruce said thoughtfully. "Well I'll have to talk to him directly, but because of you're actions tonight, none of you are allowed to leave your Dorms for the next week."

"Damn it." Spruce heard one of them whisper this under his breath but he couldn't tell which of them it was.

"Now return to you're Dorms." Spruce said, pointing toward the exit of the cafeteria.

The group rose from their seats, giving the man one last look before retreating from the room.

"What did Blake say about Reggie?" Jimmy asked cautiously, approaching Paul.

"He didn't say anything about Reggie. If he did he'd probably be dead." Paul said in a deadpan causing Jimmy to give Paul a nervous smile. "It was part of his plan to make sure no one knew about him challenging Anthony on the roof."

"Did he win?" Jimmy asked.

"I'm not sure, I haven't seen him since he ran off." Paul replied. "But that doesn't matter anymore, the Winter Dance is over."

"And now it time for use to enjoy the two week vacation we have." Jimmy declared.

"Jimmy, we're under house arrest for the next week." Paul interjected, bursting his friend's bubble.

"Gee, thanks a lot for reminding me Paul." Jimmy said sarcastically as the two made their way toward the exit of the Pokemon Center.

**January 7th**

**Junior Dorms**

**Ash's Room**

Ash entered his room in a daze, completely oblivious to the two guys that were in his room even though this room was for him alone.

"Hey Ash." Drew said, waving to the teenage boy who had just entered before returning to the card came between himself and Brock. "Do you have any seven's?"

"Go fish. How was you're date on the beach?" Brock asked, looking at the raven haired boy who was staring at them with a blank expression.

"I'm at a lost for words." Ash began after a rather long wait, closing to the door to his room. "Everything went perfectly."

"What'd you guys do?" Drew asked.

"We went to the beach of the north side of the island and spent the morning there. Misty packed a lunch for us and tons of snacks." Ash explained with a wide smile. "We played in the water together with some of the Water Pokemon that had come close to the shore which took up most of the morning. Then after that we changed and went for a walk along the beach and we just talked, for the first time in months without arguing. It was great!"

"Sounds nice." Brock said, throwing himself to the floor where he proceeded to curl up, a rain cloud forming over his head. "If only I could get Holly to go on a date with me."

"Oh yeah, did you ever get that dance with Holly at the Winter Dance?" Drew asked, snatching Brock's cards from where he had placed on them on the floor, checking to see what he had been holding. "You liar, you have a three sevens!"

"Just when we were going to dance the whole fiasco with Blake started and we left the cafeteria. In the hallways we got separated and I couldn't find her for the rest of the night." Brock explained sadly, before turning away from them.

"Hey, are Jimmy and Paul still under house arrest?" Ash asked, receiving a nod from Drew.

"Today's their last day, so I bet Jimmy is going to spend the whole day with Marina tomorrow and Paul is…Paul is" Drew stopped to think about what Paul spends his time doing when he's alone. "Paul is going to do what stuff he normally does when we're not around him."

"Boy, I'm kind of glad I didn't join that battle now." Ash said sheepishly with a chuckle.

"You were going to join in?" Drew asked.

"Yeah, but I got distracted and left, good thing because then I'd be trapped in my room like Paul and Jimmy." Ash noted before he and Drew looked down at Brock who was still sulking. "Brock, are you okay?"

"Yeah." He mumbled out.

"How about we go visit Nurse Joy. I'm sure that'll cheer you up." Drew suggested.

"No, I'm loyal to Holly now." Brock replied.

"I think it's because you're afraid of Croagunk Poision Jabbing your butt for being such a flirt." Drew said with a laugh, pointing at the depressed Senior who glared at the green haired boy.

"Shouldn't you be pestering May right now?" Brock asked, looking at Drew.

"I should be, but she's out with Dawn and Marina right now." Drew explained, returning Brock's gaze.

"Well what should we do?" Brock asked. "The girls are out having fun and we're sitting around in Ash's room."

"You got a point there. Let's go out and have some guy time!" Ash said.

"We're just going to battle each other aren't we?" Drew asked, receiving a nod from Ash.

"Yup, I'm feeling good today." Ash said with a smile.

**Off Campus**

"Croagunk, use Poison Jab!" Brock shouted, pointing at Ash's Pikachu.

"Roserade, get Pikachu with Leaf Blade!" Drew added, ordering his Grass type partner to focus on Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Agility to dodge and then attack with Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.

"Pikachu!" The Electric Mouse said as Croagunk and Roserade closed in on it, both attacking at the same time.

The duo of attacking Pokemon were shocked to see Pikachu disappear just as they attacked, beginning to scan the area for Pikachu.

"Croagunk, behind you!" Brock shouted to his partner, seeing Pikachu appearing Croagunk in midair with its tail glowing in a bright white light.

As the Fighting/Poison Pokemon turned around, it met with Pikachu's tail which sent it sliding across the ground on its side, leaving Roserade to strike at Pikachu with the glowing green blades that had extended its makeshift hands.

Roserade gasped as Pikachu disappeared just before it was hit by the Leaf Blade attack. Pikachu appeared on the other side of Roserade, slamming its glowing tail into the Bouquet Pokemon's torso, causing the taller Pokemon to drop down to one knee.

"Roserade, look out." Drew called out to his Pokemon, seeing Pikachu lash out at the Grass type Pokemon again with its tail, landing a solid hit to Roserade head which sent it sliding across the ground to Croagunk.

"Now, finish them with Volt Tackle!" Ash ordered, pointing at the duo of Pokemon Pikachu had just downed with no trouble at all.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, beginning to sprint toward Roserade and Croagunk on all fours, becoming enveloped in a yellow halo that left a large trail of light.

"Roserade/Croagunk!" Drew and Brock shouted together as their Pokemon struggled to feet. "Move!"

It was too late, Pikachu closed in on both Pokemon, both being hit by the yellow halo surrounding Pikachu which expanded in size. Roserade and Croagunk were sent flying backward, tumbling across the field for a while before they came to a stop.

Both were knocked out from the attack, electrical shocks still traveling around their bodies.

"Nice job Pikachu!" Ash said to his partner, approaching the small Pokemon that stood on its hind legs with a triumphant smile.

"Wow Ash, that was really good!" Dawn shouted as she, May and Marina approached the three boys, catching the end of the battle.

"Yeah, that was great battle." May and Marina added.

"Oh, thanks!" Ash said in return, scratching the back of his head as he smiled at the approaching bluenette.

'I knew Ash was a good trainer, but I don't ever recall him being so good that he could take on both me and Brock, and beat us without any trouble at all.' Drew exclaimed mentally, returning Roserade to its Poke-ball, Brock doing the same to his Croagunk.

"Did you guys have fun?" Brock asked the girls, receiving nods from each of them.

"Yes, we did. Thank you for asking." Marina replied.

"What'd you do today?" Ash asked.

"Well first we went over to the east side of the island to the beach." May explained.

"I heard that the beach on the east side was the best by far." Brock commented.

"Yep, and it was blast. The water was aqua blue and so clear that I could see my feet!" May exclaimed in a bubbly manner, still day dreaming about her day on the beach. "The white sand was warm and the Pokemon were really friendly."

"Wow, that sounds great." Brock said, imagining himself spending the day there with Holly with a goofy smile.

"Hey Ash, didn't you go to the beach too?" Marina asked, receiving a nod from the boy.

"Yeah. Me and Misty went the beach on the north side." Ash replied, Marina and Brock taking notice of how Dawn's smile disappeared at the mention of Misty.

"Aww, the east side beach is so much better. I'm sure you guys would've liked it better there." May said as Drew approached her, putting his arm around her.

"It sounds like it was better, but Misty told me that we'd only be able to ride on the Mantine's at the north beach." Ash said.

"No way, you got to ride a Mantine?' Marina exclaimed.

"Sure did." Ash replied, nodding to her.

"I haven't done that in forever. Jimmy and I are definitely going the north beach tomorrow. Bye guys!" Marina said, dashing off toward the Sophomore Dorms to go see her boyfriend, waving to the group.

"Come on May, let's go to the Pokemon Center." Drew said, remembering that he had to drop off Roserade.

"I'm heading for the Pokemon Center too." Brock said, following the couple as they began to make there way toward the Pokemon Center, leaving Ash and Dawn alone.

"Hey Dawn, do you need any help with your bags?" Ash asked, noticing the two bags the bluenette held that were full of beach supplies.

"Oh, I can carry them, its no big deal." Dawn replied, but Ash wasn't satisfied with her answer. Snatching both bags from the girl, Ash began to head toward the Sophomore Dorms in search of Dawn's room. "Ash, I told you I can carry them."

"Don't worry about it Dawn. Besides, you look tired." Ash said.

"I'm not tired. There's no need to worry-" Dawn yawned, interrupting her own response and proving Ash's point.

"See? Now let's get you to bed." Ash said with a grin as the two began to walk together. "Come on Pikachu!"

"Pika!" It said, chasing after them.

As they walked, Ash held a one sided conversation with Dawn, unaware of the fact that the girl had fallen behind him. Once they made their way into the Sophomore Dorms, Ash finally noticed that Dawn wasn't keeping up with him.

"Dawn?" Ash said, turning back to find the girl leaning against the wall, sound asleep. Ash snickered, wondering what he should do with her.

* * *

><p>"Hm?" Dawn said, realizing she was laying down on a flat, semi comfortable surface. Her head was propped up on something, but she could tell what it was.<p>

"Dawn, are you awake?" A voice asked as she felt a finger poke her cheek. The bluenette's eyes snapped open, revealing a blurry version of Ash Ketchum beside her.

After a few blinks, her vision cleared enough so that she realized her head had been resting her beach towel which was acting as a pillow with and a blanket resting on top her body.

"Wha-What happened?" She asked, looking around as she sat up straight. She was resting on one of the large couches in the lobby of the Sophomore Dorms, Ash seated on the floor beside her with Pikachu on his lap.

"You fell asleep while were going to your room so I carried you here." Ash explained, giving her a smile.

"I fell asleep while I was walking?" Dawn asked, her cheeks reddening. "That's so embarrassing!"

Ash and Pikachu laughed.

"What were you guys doing that has you so tired?" Ash asked, looking at Dawn.

"Well I was the only one who couldn't swim so May and Marina made me practice for like…the entire day so I was really tired when we finally left." Dawn explained. "But on the bright side I think I can finally swim."

"Good for you." Ash said, ruffling her hair.

"Pika!" Pikachu added.

"So why are we in the lobby?" Dawn asked.

"Well, I didn't know where your room was so I decided to just let you rest here." Ash said sheepishly.

"Would it kill you to pick a softer chair next time?" Dawn asked, rubbing her back a bit before stretching. Turning ninety degrees, Dawn placed her feet on the floor before attempting to stand up, but a sharp pain shot up her legs.

Dawn dropped back down onto the chair, holding her thighs in pain.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked, looking back at her after hearing her soft gasp.

"My legs are killing me." She replied through grit teeth.

"Can you walk?"

"I doubt it." Dawn said. Ash paused for a minute before kneeling down in front of her.

"Here, hop on my back." Ash said, motioning for her to climb on.

"Umm…are you sure?" Dawn asked, unsure if she should accept his offer.

"It's not like your fat Dawn. No need to worry." Ash said, using her catch phrase. Dawn looked at Ash skeptically, only catching the words 'your fat Dawn' from his mouth.

"Fat?" She repeated.

"Hmm?" Ash asked.

"Did you just call me fat?"

"No." Ash replied, turning around to face the girl.

"Didn't you just say, 'your fat Dawn'?" Dawn asked, forcing Ash to think back about what he had said.

"Oh yeah, I guess I did." Ash said with a chuckle, oblivious to the dark glare he was receiving from Dawn.

"Ash Ketchum, I can't believe you!" Dawn shouted, rising to her feet, ignoring he jolt of pain that shot through both of her legs again.

"Whoa Dawn, what's wrong?"

"How could you call me fat Ash?" She asked loudly, poking his chest twice with her pointer finger as her legs began to tremble.

"Whoa, whoa Dawn." Ash said, placing his hands on her shoulders after he had straightened up. "I wasn't saying you're fat Dawn. I know you're not fat, it's pretty obvious. In fact, you're really beautiful in my opinion."

Dawn flushed red as Ash applied a little weight to her shoulders, a wordless gesture for her to sit down. Dawn dropped back down onto the chair a second time as Ash kneeled down in front of her again.

'He called me beautiful!' Dawn exclaimed mentally as she climbed on this back, watching him collect her bags from the floor as he rose up. 'Maybe Ash can be romantic…'

"Although I must admit Dawn. That was pretty fat headed of you to think that I would call you fat." Ash commented through pursed lips, gaining another glare from the girl.

An angry mark formed on the left side of Dawn's forehead at Ash's remark.

* * *

><p>"Thanks again Ash." Dawn said, waving to the boy as she rested on her bed.<p>

"It was no trouble Dawn. I hope you sleep well tonight." Ash replied as he began to walk toward the exit of her room.

"Same to you. Just don't sleep on that bruise." Dawn said, pointing to her left cheek as Ash turned to give her a playful glare. "No hard feelings, right?"

Ash's left cheek was considerably darker than the rest of his skin, or specifically the hand print Dawn had left on his face when she slapped him earlier.

"I guess I earned this one Dawn so I'll call it even, but expect no mercy next time." Ash said, waving to the girl before leaving her room.

Dawn sighed with a content smile, looking out her bedroom window where she could see the sun dipping into the horizon.

"Do you have a crush on Ash Dawn?" A voice asked suddenly, causing the bluenette to jump.

Dawn looked around her room frantically before Blake suddenly popped out from under her bed.

"Blake, what are you doing in my room?" She exclaimed.

"Forget that at the moment. Do you like Ash?" He asked again. Blake had seen the written answer in Dawn's dairy, but he wanted to hear the answer from the girl himself.

"…Well yeah. He's really sweet, kind and caring. And he's handsome to boot." She replied with pink cheeks.

"So you do." Blake said, placing his thumb on his chin as he remained quiet for a moment. "Do you think Misty is a good match up for him?"

"Misty?" Dawn's face changed to an expression of disgust. "She doesn't deserve Ash the way she treats him most of the time. Not to mention Ash has been depressed since like…their second month of dating but he's to dense to realize she doesn't love him back."

"Do you think he'd be better off not dating her?"

"Way better. I'm sure he'd be ten times happier being single than clinging onto a girl who treats him like dirt."

"And what if he did break up with her for some reason, what would you do?" Blake asked, watching Dawn open her mouth to respond before biting her tongue to halt her answer. Blake raised his eyebrows, watching the bluenette think about it for a few moments.

"I'd do whatever it takes to make Ash happy again." She replied, getting a cackle from Blake as he clapped for her.

"I applaud you for your honesty Dawn. Now if you don't mind, I must take my leave." Blake said, rising from the floor, heading for the door.

"Wait, how'd you get in my room?" Dawn asked again.

"Can't answer that right now, I have some stalking to do." He replied quickly, rushing out the door.

"Blake!" Dawn shouted, cursing her inability to walk at the moment as her door shut.

Blake cackled inwardly, looking back at the door to Dawn's Dorm.

'Today I caught a glimpse of Ash Ketchum's true battling abilities, which are strongly tied to his state of mind. It looks like Ash will be able to help me out after all.' Blake said, stuffing his hands into his pocket, beginning to walk down the corridor.

**January 16th – Evening**

**Junior Dorms**

**Misty's Room**

Blake watched the silent female red head disappear into her dorm room, locking the door behind her after their first day back in school after the two week vacation.

He had spent the past week following the girl around the Tsugi Academy to see if Dawn's hunch was correct about her, and from what he had seen, she seemed like nothing more than a neglectful girlfriend with the life of any other teenage girl.

Keeping an eye on her during school hours had been tricky because everyone had discovered his jump in the Rankings again, and many of the Freshman were congratulating him on the win over Anthony which had caused him to loss track of Misty a few times during the day.

'Grr, no way I can get into her room from here.' Blake said mentally, observing the locked door before feeling a soft breeze hit the top of his head.

Looking up, Blake noticed the small panel in the ceiling that was connected the ventilation shaft that ran through the hallway.

Blake snapped his fingers, an alternate plan forming in his head.

* * *

><p>Silently moving through the small airway, Blake looked down at his phone that had a map of the Tsugi Academy's ventilation system, using that to navigate his way to Misty's room. Every room possessed a small opening in the ceiling or wall to keep the room cool, especially during the summer months when the temperature passed a hundred degrees on Tsugi Island.<p>

Making a left, Blake stopped at the first opening in the shaft, looking down in the room below where he could see a female Junior practicing for a history test with two of her friends.

'Wrong room.' Blake said, continuing down the shaft, making she he was a quiet as possible.

Stopping at the next opening which was at a crossway in the shaft, Blake looked down into the room where his jaw dropped.

'Oh damn.' He exclaimed mentally, trying to suppress the urge to cackle out loud. 'Gallade.'

The Poke-ball in Blake's pocket opened in silence, releasing the Blade Pokemon on the other side of the opening in the shaft.

"Gallade, you see that phone there?" Blake whispered to his Pokemon, pointing toward the blue phone resting on the wooden dest beneath. "Get it."

The blue phone resting besides a pink one gained a blue outline for a few moments before it began to rise into the air, up toward opening in the shaft where Blake caught the phone.

"Come on." Blake said, motioning for Gallade to follow him down the second pathway in the shaft that led to the hallway outside Misty's room.

Having Gallade pull the cover of the shaft off, Blake jumped out, landing softly where he flipped open the cell phone, dialing in a number he had memorized.

**Ash's Room**

"Hello?" Ash said, answering his phone to a number he had registered in his phone with a name. Gary Oak.

"Hey Ashy-boy. I stopped in by Misty like two minutes ago and she hasn't answered the door but I can hear someone throwing up in there. I think she might be sick." Gary said.

"Misty's sick! I have the second key to her room so I'll be right there!" Ash shouted, ending the call to begin searching for the key.

Blake cackled as he ended his call, a smile plastered on his face in anticipation of the scene that was about to unfold.

"Quick Gallade, bring me back up." Blake whispered to his partner.

"Lade." It said, a blue outline forming around Blake, lifting him back up into the ventilation shaft. Once inside, Blake quick put the cover back on the panel as not to cause any suspicion before leading Gallade back to the opening above Misty's room.

Giving Gallade the order to return the phone, Blake watched his partner use its Psychic energy once more, a blue outline forming around the phone to hold it in the air before Gallade slowly lowered back down onto the wooden desk.

'Now we watch.' Blake said with a wide smile, looking down in the room. 'This will be perfect to help out with the rising action.'

Hearing some heavy foot steps coming from the hallway, Blake's smile seemed to grow even wider as the door was thrown open, the spare keys Misty had given Ash still in the door knob.

"Hey Misty, are you oka-" Ash's voice disappeared as he stared at the couple seated on the small couch in the corner of Misty's room beside the glass door that led out to the small balcony out side her room.

Seated on the couch was the last person Ash expected to see. Misty, seated upon Gary's Oak's lap, was currently locking lips with him, her arms around his neck while his hands were at her hips.

Ash's eyes widened in disbelief.

* * *

><p><strong>And...cliffhanger! Part 12 complete.<strong>

**So I've been told to develop Ash and Dawn's relationship a bit more if I want this to truly be a Pearlshipping story. I couldn't do much with this chapter, but something big is on the way and Pearlshipping with definitely be involved so stay tuned.**

**As for making Ash a bit stronger, that's a bit far off for him at the moment, Blake giving a tiny explanation in this chapter about why he's so weak at the moment. But don't worry, Ash will receive his time in the spotlight, you just have to stay tuned for it, but for now, I hope I can keep you entertained with the events that are taking place now.**

**Thanks for the reviews guys, keep on reviewing and tell me what you think. And did this chapter seem kind of rushed coming down to the end? I just want to know because every time I read it seems a bit faster than what I aimed for.  
><strong>

**Peace out! :D**


	13. Crash and Burn

Part 13

Blake had to clap both his hands over his mouth to prevent himself from making any sounds that would make his presence known to the occupants in the room. The expression on Ash's face was priceless and if everything played out properly, this would go along perfectly with the time frame Blake had set up.

It was like a glass in his mind had shattered, or that could've been his heart, but either way, all of Ash's senses were overtaken by anger.

"Wha…What the hell is this?" Ash said in a whisper, going unheard by the duo who continued regardless of his entrance. "I said, what the hell is this!"

Gary and Misty separated instantly before looking toward the entrance of her room where the source of the shout came from. There they found Ash staring at them with what was the darkest expression he could shoot at them.

"Ash? What you doing here?" Misty exclaimed, doing her best to maintain her composure.

"What am I doing here?" Ash shouted, pointing at himself. "What the hell are you doing, on top of him!"

Ash pointed at Gary, his shouts being heard by heard by everyone that was possessed a room in this corridor.

"Ashy-boy, calm down." Gary said, giving Misty a soft touch as a cue to get off of him.

"Why the hell should I calm down when I find my girlfriend messing around with you!" Ash shouted, stepping toward them as Gary rose up from the couch, wearing a smirk on his face.

"Listen to this Ashy-boy." Gary began. "You're entire love life with Misty was nothing but an unrequited love. You were head over heels in love Misty, but she doesn't care about you at all cause she's been with me the whole time."

"Wh..." Ash was a loss for word as he allowed Gary's words to settle in his brain. Misty was with Gary the entire time she was dating him? "What!"

Ash's jaws tightened as his balled up his hands into fists. He was ready to retaliate.

"It's been nothing but an act Ashy-boy. Face facts." Gary said, maintaining a smirk despite the pressure that was on him from Ash.

"Why are you freakin' lying to me Gary!" Ash shouted, charging toward Gary with a dark glare. Before Gary could prepare himself for Ash's frontal assault, the raven haired teen snuck in a good tackle to Gary's torso, sending both of them to the thin glass door that led out to Misty's balcony.

"Ash! Stop!" Misty screamed as the two of the hit the glass, breaking through it with ease. Misty shrieked as shards of glass went everywhere, Ash continuing to push Gary toward the metal railing surrounding the small balcony.

Gary grunted as his back hit the railing, Ash holding him against it as he stood up straight, reeling back his fist. At the door to Misty's room, a few of the girls that were in the room beside hers had come to see what all the commotion was about.

Ash decked him once, a solid hook that almost sent Gary over the edge of the railing if Ash didn't grab the collar of his shirt to hold him back.

Gary gasped, his lowered lip now busted and bleeding while Ash's raised his right fist again.

"Why are you lying Gary!?" Ash roared, landing a second blow to Gary's jaw this time. Gary grunted as he took the hit.

If there was anything Gary didn't know about Ash, it was how often he worked out to make share he stayed in shape, and his current punching power the perfect example of that hard work.

"She'd never do that to me Gary!" Ash shouted again putting in a third hit to Gary's face, hitting him square on the nose.

Gary's head rocketed backward from the hit, blood streaming from his nose, but Ash roughly tugged him forward toward his right fist that was poised for a finishing uppercut.

"Ash, please stop!" The shout came from Misty, causing the boy to freeze as Gary fell forward, his face meeting with Ash's just before he smashed Gary's face a fourth time. Ash glanced over his shouted at the girl, an untamed wildness visible in his eyes.

Misty felt a chill run up her spine when she made eye contact with Ash, but she couldn't back down.

"Please don't hurt him anymore Ash, I love him!" She cried out, gulping when she heard Ash growl.

Ash released his hold on Gary's shirt, allowing the brunette to drop to the floor as he turned to face Misty.

"How long?" He asked quietly, lowering his head.

"What?" Misty asked in return.

"How long have you been doing this to me?" Ash repeated, looking up at Misty.

The red head bit her lower lip, remaining silent for a moment.

"I thought what we had was special Misty. You said it yourself." Ash continued. "You said you hated Gary for dumping you, the whole school saw it. He humiliated you in front of everyone. Why would you still date someone like that? Why Misty, why?"

"No Ash, I couldn't hate Gary no matter what he did to me." She said finally. "I loved him with all my heart and no matter what I tried to do to forget him…I just couldn't!"

The anger inside Ash's eyes disappeared, sadness replacing the emotion.

"You're…serious." Ash said after a long pause, looking at the girl who nodded to him. Ash chuckled, surprising both Misty and Gary, the two of them giving him an odd look. "You loved Gary Oak from the beginning but dated me anyway."

For just a moment Gary and Misty believed this might end without anyone getting seriously hurt.

"I can't freakin' believe you!" Ash roared.

The anger returned to Ash's eyes as he balled up his fists, beginning to walk toward Misty. The girl visibly paled as Ash neared her, raising his left hand for use only to freeze when he made eye contact with the girl.

Ash's vision became blurry, a tear escaping the corner of his eye, sliding down his cheek. He couldn't hurt Misty, his conscious and his body wouldn't do it.

"You're dead to me Misty Waterflower." Ash said in a whisper, lowering his hand. Setting a fast pace, Ash walked past the girl heading toward the exit of the room.

The slam of the door when Ash closed it was the last thing Misty heard before she rushed over to Gary helping him to his feet.

'Heh heh, that was excellent Ash.' Blake said as he traveled through the air vents, silently applauding the boy for his actions.

* * *

><p>Ash rudely pushed his way through the growing crowd of students that had come after hearing the glass door break, wondering what was going on. Breaking out into a sprint once he was free from the crowd, Ash made his way to the room, locking the door once he was inside.<p>

'How could she do that?' Ash screamed mentally as he leaned against the door of his room, dropping to the floor. 'I did everything I could to treat her like a queen when Gary dumped her. Why would she do that?'

"_Thanks Ash, I really needed that." Misty said with a sniffle as he passed her a tissue before sneaking his arm around her torso, pulling her into another comforting hug._

'I did nothing but treat her right! Why would she leave me for _him_?' Ash asked himself.

"_I love you Ash Ketchum." The orange haired girl said to him, planting a quick kiss on his lips before retreating into her room._

'But she lied to me the whole time!' Ash rose to his feet abruptly, walking to the center of his room where he looked out at the small amount of objects that filled his room.

'_Let's be together forever Ash.' _Ash glared the window, seeing Misty's smiling face. Grabbing the small wooden nightstand from beside his bed, Ash chucked it at the window, watching it succeed in shattering the glass.

'_You'll be my love, always.' _Ash growled, beginning to push his bed that was located at the center of the room toward the door, turning it sideways so that if blocked off the doorway and would prevent anyone from trying to enter his room.

'_Ash Ketchum, I'm in love with you.' _Ash looked at the desk and book shelf, the only two things remaining the room. Papers and books went flying as Ash tipped over his bookshelf before flipping over his desk.

One question hung in Ash's mind as he dropped to the floor, hitting the floor repeatedly with his fists.

'Why would she do that?' He asked himself, falling onto his side where he just stared at the wall.

**January 17th – Lunch**

**Cafeteria**

"Did you hear about what happened last night?" A female Junior asked as she took a seat beside some of her friends.

"About what?"

"There was a huge fight between Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak in Misty's room."

"What happened?"

"Apparently Misty was cheating on Ash with Gary the entire time she was dating Ash."

"What?"

"No way."

"And Ash said he was so happy to be with her."

"Is he okay?"

"No one's seen him since last night."

"How could Misty be cheating on him the entire time without Ash knowing?"

Blake cackled quickly as he walked toward his usual table, listening to the rumors about Ash, Misty and Gary spread through the school like wild fire. Blake was part of the group of people that started spreading the word last night, and judging by the rate it was spreading at, by the end of the day every student in the Tsugi Academy would know about what happened.

"Hey Blake, have you seen Ash?" Dawn asked, gaining his attention as he took a seat beside her.

"Why do you ask?" Blake asked in return.

"Well none of us have seen him all day." Dawn explained. "I thought maybe you might know."

"He's in his room." Blake replied casually.

"What's he doing there?" Drew asked.

"Meh, crying most likely." Blake said.

"Crying, what for?" Dawn jumped in.

"Haven't you heard? He and Misty had this huge break up last night." Blake explained, causing almost the entire group to gasp at the new information.

"They broke up?" Brock exclaimed.

"What happened?" Marina asked.

"Misty was cheating on him the entire time with Gary. Ash found out _somehow_ and there was this huge fight before he broke up with her." Blake explained, focusing on Dawn who was absorbing these facts.

"I can't believe she'd do that Ash!" Dawn exclaimed loudly, dropping her hand down on the table creating a loud bang which was ignored by the rest of the cafeteria. "We have to go visit him and make sure he's okay."

Dawn rose up from her seat, beginning to walk away from the table only to have a large hand drop down on her shoulder, holding her back. Glancing over her shoulder, the bluenette found Brock holding her back, shaking his head.

Looking around at her circle of friends, Dawn noticed that none of them had gotten up from their seats to visit Ash with her.

"Why don't you guys want to visit Ash?" She asked, looking at them.

"I understand that you want to check up on Ash, but we've all known Ash a bit longer than you have Dawn." Paul said, holding eye contact with the girl. "I've seen how angry he can get at himself, and he's dangerous to be around while he's like that. It's best to just leave him alone right now."

The entire group gave Dawn a nod of agreement, motioning for her to come take her seat.

"Don't worry about Ash. He'll be fine after you give him some time to cool down." Brock said reassuringly.

**January 18th – First Period**

**Hallways**

The bell signaling the start of the school day was just a few minutes away from ringing so most of the students were still out in the hallways chatting with each other when everyone attention shifted to one person who was walked through the middle of the hall with his backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Hey look, its Ash."

"Do you think he's okay now?"

"He wouldn't be here if he wasn't."

Everyone continued to whisper among themselves as Ash passed by.

"What do you think Misty's doing right now?" A male Sophomore asked just a bit too loudly. That one name in his question was heard by Ash and that was all it took to make him snap.

The Sophomore found his head smashed against the door of a locker with silent Ash breathing down his neck.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Another Sophomore shouted at Ash who continued to stare at the boy he had just slammed against the lockers.

"You want to repeat that for m-" Ash began in a whisper before he was jumped by two more Sophomore's, the duo forcing him to let go of their friend while they pulled Ash away.

Everyone watched as Ash threw off both of the Sophomore's with a low growl before lunging at one of them, escalating the fight.

"Hey, get off of him!" Several people got involved now, a group of four managing to pull Ash of the Sophomore he had attacked.

Ash growled at the group as he ripped himself free from their grip, turning around to glare at them before stuffing his hands into his pockets, leaving the hallways in a huff.

**January 19th – 7th Period**

**Battle Arena**

Ash Ketchum dropped down to his knees on the dirt field in front of the small yellow mouse Pokemon that was coated in bruises and a layer of dirt.

It was humiliating. A horrible loss with his Rank at stake.

Ash allowed his bangs to drop down in front his eyes, casting a shadow as he scooped up his partner Pokemon from the field.

"I'm sorry Pikachu." Ash said in a whisper as he stood of straight, glancing at his opponent.

Not only had he lost a battle that would be seen by the entire school, but he lost his Rank within the Top 10 to another trainer. A no name Freshman of all of people!

The battle was fairly long, Ash watching the battle with a blank stare nearly the entire time. Pikachu could only do its best to avoid getting hit until it was finally caught and finished off. It was then Ash snapped out of his daze, realizing the battle was over.

Turning on his heels, Ash retreated to the hallways of the Battle Arena where he returned Pikachu to its Poke-ball with a sad sigh.

Ash smashed his fist against the wall with an audible thud, his jaws visibly tightening.

'Hey Ashy-boy!' Ash could hear Gary's voice call out to him. Looking around for Gary's voice, Ash found the brunnette's face on the wall, smirking at him. 'Misty's a blast, it's a shame you'll never be able to know considering you're such a loser.'

"Damn you!" Ash roared as he pounded the wall several times, trying to knock that smirk of Gary's face. Eventually Ash's right had hit the wall at a bad angle, sending a sharp pain to his wrist. "Ugh…damn it…damn you Gary Oak!"

Ash held his right wrist in pain, growling at the wall.

"I can't believe you stole Misty from me." Ash said in a whisper.

'What are you going to do about it Ashy-boy?' Gary asked in return.

"I'm going to make you regret ever being born!" Ash shouted as the wall before taking off in a sprint.

A certain bluenette that had gone unnoticed by Ash peeked out from the end of the hallways, seeing Ash running down to the opposite end.

'Ash is beginning to scare me.' Dawn stated, recalling how many times she had seen him take to inanimate objects since he returned to school.

**January 20th – Lunch**

**Cafeteria**

"Whoa, what happened to Ash in this battle?" Drew asked out loud as he looked at one of the large television screens that were mounted on the wall that were replays of Ash's battle against the Freshman that had beaten him yesterday.

"He didn't even give Pikachu any commands during the battle." May exclaimed as the whole group watched the replay from their usual table.

"I've never seen him neglect Pikachu in battle, never." Brock stated. "This thing with Misty and Gary must really be bugging."

"That's why we need to comfort Ash in his time of need." Dawn said, trying to reason with them like she had during the past week.

"Dawn, we're telling you that-that is something you can't do right now. You have to give Ash some time to calm down by himself. There's no telling what he might do to you right now with how things are." Brock said, motioning for her to sit back down.

"If you want to comfort Ash so much, here's your chance." Paul said, motioning to the raven haired boy who was headed toward their table with an empty lunch tray.

Everyone waited in silence as Ash took a seat before lowering his head down to the table as if he was going to take a nap.

"Hey Ash." Dawn said, waving to the boy who didn't reply. "Are you okay?"

Ash remained silent, not even looking toward Dawn as she spoke to him.

"Dawn, just leave him alone for now." May whispered to her.

Eating in silence, everyone was keeping one eye on Ash and the other on their food, watching him as he remained completely still, his eyes covered by the shadow cast by his bangs.

"Aren't you going to eat Ash?" Dawn asked him, receiving a nothing but silence from Ash.

'He won't even eat. I've never seen Ash refuse to eat.' Brock stated mentally, wondering when the last time Ash ate. "Ash, when was the last time you ate."

Ash was quiet again, although he seemed to flinch at the tone of Brock's voice.

"Ash, when was the last time you ate?" Brock asked, rising from his seat to walk over to Ash where he roughly pulling him to his feet. "When was the last time you ate?"

Brock grit his teeth when he saw through Ash's bangs, seeing the pair of blank, chocolate brown eyes. Brock was so used to seeing them filled with energy and vigor that seeing them look completely dead caught him off guard.

"I dunno…Tuesday." Ash finally replied, registering the person holding him up as Brock.

"Tuesday? You're coming with me." Brock said, taking Ash by the forearm to drag him over to the lunch line. "I'm buying lunch for you."

"I can't believe Ash isn't eating." Marina exclaimed.

"There's only a few things Ash might give up on, but eating will never be one of them." Jimmy added.

"Still, if he's not eating then we have to check up on him." Dawn suggested.

"Dawn's right. We have to at least keep an eye on him until he's back to normal." May said, getting a nod of agreement from Jimmy, Marina, Dawn and Paul.

After a few minutes, the group could see Brock dragging Ash back to the table while holding a lunch tray that was filled with an assortment of food.

"Eat." Brock said as he placed the tray down in front of Ash once he was seated.

Ash just stared at the meal in front of him for a few moments, everyone watching in silence.

"Come on Ash, eat." Brock said again. Mechanically, Ash began to put food in his mouth and chew, then swallow and continue.

'Good, he's eating.' Dawn said, letting out a mental sigh of relief.

Just when it seemed like Ash was beginning to speed up his eating pace, the cheers of several Freshman gained everyone's attention.

A large group of them were holding up one of their friends, someone Ash recognized instantly. It was same Freshman who had beaten him in a battle.

"Nice job beating Ash Ketchum!" They all said while chanting his name. "Now we've got two people in the Top 10."

"Yeah, you toasted him!" They shouted.

Dawn looked toward Ash, noticing that his hands were trembling.

'Ashy-boy! You lost to Freshman. Hah! You have no chance of beating me and getting Misty back.' Gary's voice said.

"Shut up Gary!" Ash roared, jumping to his feet as he flipped his lunch tray.

"Whoa!" Brock shouted as he jumped away from Ash. "What's wrong Ash?"

Before anyone at the table could avoid the food that rained down onto them, Ash charged into the group of Freshman, pushing several of them to the ground as he conducted his search.

'Where is he?' Ash shouted as he looked for the source of Gary's voice.

'You'll never find me Ashy-boy!' Gary's voice said again.

"Gary, quit hiding!" Ash shouted as he pushed away the Freshman that was trying to hold him back.

Many of the Freshman were screaming for Ash to stop, but the raven haired boy couldn't hear their shouts.

* * *

><p>"I swear, the number of times I get called down to the cafeteria is ridicules." Spruce grumbled as he sprinted through the hallways of the Tsugi Academy, using the fastest path he knew to get to the cafeteria.<p>

He had received a call just a few moments ago about another fight in the cafeteria.

Bursting through the large double doors, Spruce could hear the shouts of students which only made him run faster as he went deeper into the cafeteria.

Spruce was somewhat surprised when he found a group of four boys being pushed around by a large group of Freshman and one boy beginning completely immersed in the Freshman, receiving a rough beating.

"Enough of this." Spruce said as he ran down into the seating area. "All of you stop this right now!"

Most of the fighting came to stop with the roar of Spruce's voice, allowing him to scope who was fighting. It was almost surprising to find that the four guys that were pushed around by the Freshman were Brock, Drew, Jimmy and Paul.

But what did surprise Spruce was the fifth person that was being beaten up by the Freshman. Ash Ketchum rose from the floor with a burst lower lip and bruised cheek as he glared at the surrounding Freshman.

"Who started this?" Spruce asked, looking around at the group.

All hands pointed toward Ash Ketchum.

"Is this true?" Spruce asked, focusing on Ash who gave him a slow nod.

"He just attacked us out of the blue!" One of the Freshman added.

"Yeah!" Several of them said in agreement.

"Alright then. Ash Ketchum, I'm sorry but you're suspended for the next week for assault on school grounds." Spruce said.

Ash just stared at Spruce for a moment before sighing, putting both his hands in his pockets as he made his way toward the cafeteria exit.

"We have to help Ash somehow. If things keep going like this he'll get expelled." Dawn said, receiving a nod from Marina and May.

**January 24th – Evening**

**Junior Dorms**

**Ash's Room**

Dawn sat outside the wooden door that led into Ash's room, her left ear pressed against the door as she tried to listen on Brock's one sided conversation with Ash.

Jumping away from the door when Brock began to open it, Dawn began to whistle a quick tune in attempt to act like she hadn't been trying to eavesdrop.

"Don't even bother trying Dawn." Brock said to the bluenette who sighed.

"So how is he?"

"I got him to eat. And hopefully he'll go to sleep tonight."

"Alright, at least he's starting to eat again." Dawn said, getting a nod of agreement from Brock.

"By the time his suspension is over he might be good enough to be around people again." Brock noted.

"Are you sure?"

"I hope I am."

Ash leaned against the far wall of his room, holding his bandaged right hand. Brock had brought Nurse Joy after he noticed that Ash was trying to avoid using his right hand, and the woman discovered that Ash had managed to fracture his right wrist and it was close to becoming something serious had not Brock brought her to him.

He was eating and sleeping again, but Ash could still hear Gary's voice from time to time. Teasing him. Taunting him…it was really beginning to get Ash because he would go through a violent fit whenever Gary would mention Misty.

"Rest." The reminder from Brock rung in Ash's head as he stared at his bed. "Time for bed."

**January 27th – Night**

**Ash's Room**

"Good night Ash, sleep well." Dawn and Brock said as they waved to their friend who returned it with a small smile.

"Sleep well too." Ash said in a deadpan.

"Oh, and Ash, Nurse Joy said you have a call down in the Pokemon Center. After that call you should go straight to bed." Brock said, getting a nod from the boy.

**Pokemon Center**

"Hello?" Ash said, entering her office.

"Oh, are you Ash Ketchum?" Nurse Joy asked, looking up from the small book she was reading.

"Yup.

"There's a call for you on line 4. Use one of the phone's over there." She said, pointing to the wall of the room where he could see several video phones built into the wall. "I'll be right back, one of the students called me a while ago."

"Okay, thanks." Ash said, taking the nearest phone as Nurse Joy disappeared into the corridor leading to the rooms where a few students were being kept because they were injured or ill. "Hello?"

The blank screen lit up revealing a Pokemon laboratory that was all to familiar.

"Hello?" Ash said again.

"Oh! You answered." A voice said. Ash could hear several footsteps before an distraught looking older male appeared on the screen in a white lab coat.

"Professor Oak, what's up?" Ash asked, causing the man to sigh. "Is something wrong?"

"There's no easy way to tell you this Ash…but, your mother has passed away."

Ash's eyes widened as his grip on the receiver loosened.

Blake, who was standing in the hallway outside the Nurse Joy's office, frowned as he listened in on Ash's discussion.

'Well this is unexpected…'

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, so now we've gotten things rolling around Ash. Not only has he broken up with Misty, but now he's lost his Rank with in the Top 10, failed his partner Pokemon, attacked several students, and gotten himself suspended. How much lower can Ash Ketchum fall?<strong>

**What else could I possibly have in store for him? Stay tuned.**

**Review! Tell me what you think of this chapter, because this is one where I really want to know what you guys have to say on this one.**


	14. Ditching School

**Revised.**

* * *

><p>Part 14<p>

"Wh…" Ash felt as though the world around him had disappeared, leaving only himself and the video phone. Professor Oak continued to speak, unaware of the fact that Ash had dropped the receiver. His mother was...gone?

"Are you alright?" A voice with concern brought Ash back to reality, discovering that Nurse Joy was giving him a portion of her attention.

"Yeah." He replied quietly, collecting the receiver fro the floor, returning it to his ear to hear the professor.

"-funeral was two days ago. I'm sorry for telling you so late, but there was some controversy as to whether we should tell you or not." Professor Oak continued. "Are you feeling alright Ash, you haven't said anything in a while."

Ash remained silent, just staring at the screen.

"M…Mom is dead?" Ash said as a whisper into the phone, receiving a nod from Professor Oak. "Why didn't you call me for the freakin' funeral!"

Professor Oak seemed to jump away from the video phone when Ash threw his fist at the screen. This instantly cut off his ability to see the teenager from his. Ash pulled back his fist, staring at the shards of glass that had broken the skin on his knuckles. Why was everyone leaving him in the dark?

"Excuse me, that's school property you just damaged!" Nurse Joy called out to Ash as he stepped away from the video phone. Ash spared her a glance.

"Don't talk to me." Ash mumbled out before leaving the room as quickly as he could. Slamming the door behind him, Ash dashed down the hall, ignoring he shouts of Nurse Joy as she opened up the door to her office.

He ran, in search of an exit. In search of a way out. To get away from it all.

Eventually Ash came to a stop, finding himself standing behind the Tsugi Academy near the garden. Taking a few deep breaths, Ash dropped down to his bottom against the wall of the building.

"Mom..." A lump formed in his throat as he tried to digest this information. Memories flooded into his head of his childhood that he had spent with his mother, all the times she had scolded him for sleeping in and chewing with his mouth open. All the times she would comfort him when kids would tease him about not having a dad.

Ash could recall the last thing Delia had told him when he was leaving at the end of summer break last year. It was also the same thing she at the end of their conversations over the phone whenever Ash called. It was last thing Ash heard from his mother the day he was taking leaving for the ferry ride to Tsuji Island.

_'Don't forget to put on a clean pair of underwear every morning!' She shouted to Ash who blushed when everyone's attention suddenly fell upon him._

_'Mom!' He shouted back, obviously embarrassed._

"Damn it all!" Ash shouted as he closed his hand up, tearing up several blades of grass.

"Ash Ketchum." A voice called out to him. Ash's head snapped to the side where he spotted Blake approaching him.

"What do you want?" Ash asked coldly.

"I heard about your mother." Blake stated, remaining stoic despite the harsh glare from Ash that was suddenly directed at him.

"Why'd you listen in on my conversation!?" Ash jumped to his feet, launching a punch at Blake who took a solid hit to his jaw, sending him to the ground with a thud. "Why the hell would you do that!?"

"Listen Ash." Blake said, rubbing his jaw with one hand as he rose to his feet. "I just want to help you."

'Ashy-boy, I can see your life sucks even more now that Misty left. Guess losers will always be at the bottom of society.' Gary's voice rang out in his mind, drowning out Blake's voice.

"No, no! You couldn't help at all Gary. You'll just make everything worse!" Ash shouted as he threw out another punch at Blake, knocking him over once again. Blake only shrugged as he rose from the floor once again, closely observing Ash who was tightly grasping his head with both hands.

"Ash, I just want to help you." Blake repeated, predicting what Ash would hear in his mind.

'You were always meant to be a failure Ashy-boy.' Gary said with a smug look.

"Shut up Gary!" Ash said angrily, lashing out at Blake with another fist although Blake managed to block this one using his forearm.

"Just listen Ash." Blake grumbled as he held his forearm in pain. Ash was much stronger then him, although their body types said this from day one.

"Rah!" Ash roared as he threw another punch at Blake's nose which he caught, barely holding this one back.

'Man he's strong.' Blake stated through grit teeth as Ash withdrew his fist, before going for Blake's stomach this time. Using both of his hands this time, Blake's caught Ash's fist again, stopping it completely. "Ash, I'm only trying to help you."

"How could you possibly help me?" Ash asked, glaring at Blake as he tried to pull his hand back, but Blake refused to release him.

Blake's eyes twinkled as he flashed Ash a sinister grin before twisting Ash's arm, gaining a shout of pain from hims. All of Ash's strength seemed to disappear for a few moments, giving Blake the freedom to pull Ash's arm around his body, pushing it against his back. Blake then slammed him against the wall which easily enraged Ash as though he were a Tauros.

As Ash tried to push off the wall and overpower Blake, he would give Ash's arm a sharp push, increasing the potential to dislocate his shoulder, halting Ash completely.

"If you just listen you'll find out that there's ferry at the docks on the southern side of the island that's headed for Cinnabar Island. If you get to the boat before tomorrow night and stow away on it, you can get to the Kanto Region." Blake whispered quickly to Ash who calmed down a bit, wondering what this information was for.

"Why are you telling me this?" Ash asked, looking at Blake over his shoulder, watching the freshman begin to cackle again.

"If you do catch the boat, you can get to Cinnibar Island. From there it shouldn't be too hard to get to Pallet Town." Blake said with a smirk as Ash caught on.

"I can see my mother..." He said softly.

"This is your one chance. After this their won't be another ferry headed to Kanto for at least two months. Ash seemed to relax entirely, which was Blake's cue to release him.

"Thank you Blake." Ash said, turning around to face him.

"It's no problem, now get going."

"No, I mean it Blake. Thanks for your help." Ash said, bumping Blake's chest with his fist before rushing off.

Blake could only cackle as Ash left him alone.

"I've been way to nice to these guys right now. I better start getting mean or else the might actually think I'm helping them." Blake said with a laugh as he put his hands in his pockets. "Alright, he's headed toward Pallet Town so I better get his traveling companion ready."

**Sophomore Dorms**

**Dawn's Room**

The bluenette that rested on her bed couldn't sleep at all. Her mind constantly drifted to her raven haired dream boy who was currently going through some rough times that had broken him down mentally and emotionally for quite some time. Although Ash appeared to be returning to his normal self recently.

Dawn shot up from her bed when she heard the window to her room open suddenly, hearing two bodies land on the floor of her room.

"Who's there?" Dawn asked, turning to look at the two dark silhouettes standing in front her open window.

"Hypnosis." A voice said, followed by a flash of blue light before everything in Dawn's perspective when black.

* * *

><p>'Ugh, why am I moving?' Dawn asked herself groggily as she noticed the bushes rushing by as she moved along a dirt pathway. It was then she noticed that she couldn't move at all since she had been tired up, and she was resting on someone's shoulder. Squirming a bit, Dawn managed to get a look at her kidnapper, recognizing the Pokemon that held her. 'A Gallade?"<p>

Dawn's struggle to move gained the attention of Gallade, forcing it to come to a halt since she had woken up.

"Lade." It muttered as it gazed in directly into Dawn's eyes as its own flashed blue again, knocking out the girl for the second time tonight.

**South Beach**

**Docks**

Ash looked up at the small ferry that would be his ride back to Kanto. The front deck was loaded with several large crates that were likely the food delivery for the Tsugi Academy, but will all of this stuff in the way, it wouldn't be too hard for him to sneak onto the ship.

The raven haired teen had a dual strap backpack on him with three changes of clothes inside, his house keys, a wad of cash he had been saving and a week's worth of trail mix. Pikachu's Poke-ball was in his pocket with the small yellow Pokemon contained within it.

It had taken Ash a solid twenty minutes to capture Pikachu. The moment it spotted its Poke-ball in Ash's hands, it assumed the worse and made it quite a struggle for Ash to catch it. And leaving it behind on the campus wasn't an option either.

Spotting the vacant ramp that led up to the ferry, Ash quickly scaled it and entered the water craft. He glanced left and right, searching for a place to hide.

The raven haired teen had a dual strap packet will three changes of cloths inside, his house keys, a wad of cash that Ash had been saving, about a week's worth of trail mix and Pikachu's Poke-ball with the Electric Mouse Pokemon inside.

It had taken Ash at least twenty minutes to catch Pikachu while it was loose in his room since it hated traveling in a Poke-ball. But there was no way Ash was going to let it travel outside its Poke-ball as he tried to sneak off campus, and leaving it behind wasn't an option either.

"Gallade." A deep called out to Ash. Ash found that it was Gallade motioning for him to come toward it from the forward deck.

'I guess Blake sent it to help me out.' Ash concluded, following the Pokemon as it led him to the corner of the deck where a small door was located on the floor which was wide open. "Can I hide in here?"

"Lade." It replied with a nod before motioning for Ash to get in. Ash followed its orders, using the staircase to descend into the lower deck while Gallade shut the door behind him. Once Gallade had been sure that it was closed properly so as not to arose suspicion, the Pokemon looked toward the crates.

"Hey, who are you!?" A small man holding a flashlight called out to Gallade, shining the light on it. "A Pokemon? What are you doing here?"

Gallade remained silent as both of its eyes became bright blue. Gallade then threw its arms into the air as if it were lifting something into the air, then all of the crates resting on the deck were lifted into the air. The man that had confronted Gallade watched in awe as the Pokemon moved every crate off the deck to the docks in front of the ship, finishing an entire night of work in about thirty seconds.

Gallade spared the man a nod before it leaped off the ship to the docks below where it broke out into a sprint.

"Hey Jerry, is the next crate ready?" A voice called out to the man who had run over the edge of the deck to see Gallade disappear into the dense forest at the end of the docks.

"A Pokemon just moved all of them to the docks in one go." He replied.

"All of them?"

"Yup."

"Then I guess we're done for the night."

"Are we going to head back?"

"Might as well, we've got no reason to stay. We can just give the principal a call in the morning to tell him his shipment is waiting for him."

**January 28th – Morning**

**Ferry**

Ash rose up from the cold metal floor, suppressing the scowl that was creeping up on his face since the screams of a muffled voice had disturbed his sleep.

'Ugh, what's the noise?' Ash asked himself, glancing around the room for a bit as he searched the room. Rising up to his feet, Ash soon found that he wasn't the only person that was present in the room. There was a body that had been bound and gagged resting on the floor that was the source of the screams. Approaching the body, Ash raised an eyebrow when he noticed the long locks of blue hair on the head of the body.

"Dawn?" Ash said which brought he pleas for help to a halt. Rolling her over, Ash could indeed see that it was Dawn who had been tied up. Quietly he untied the knot that held a piece of a cloth against her mouth, restoring her ability of speech.

"Ash, what are you doing here?" She exclaimed, looking back at Ash as he released her from the rope that left her immobile. Ash didn't respond to her he question, which only seemed to increase her curiosity at his peculiar behavior. "Ash?"

Remaining silent, Ash returned to his bag which had been acting as a pillow for him, but at his point he didn't feel like sleeping anymore. Leaning up against one of the crates, Ash seemed to stare off into the space, ignoring her presence entirely. The return of his strange behavior left Dawn worried, just when he was starting to return to his usual self.

"Are you okay Ash?" She asked as she joined him by the crates, taking a seat a small distance away from him. He was quiet, way too quiet. She couldn't even hear him breathing. Scooting closer to him, Dawn reached out to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me." He said just before the tips of her fingers could brush against his clothing. Dawn quickly withdrew her hand, recalling Brock's warning about Ash.

"What's wrong Ash? Please tell me." Dawn pleaded with him, only to receive silence in return as he directed his gaze toward her. Dawn was a bit shocked to stare into Ash's eyes. They held a certain intensity in them, something she had never seen before. But at the same time he seemed unfocused, as if he was currently running on auto pilot.

Tempted to try placing a hand on Ash's shoulder once again, Dawn raised a hand which she extended toward him once again. A low growl from Ash caused her to freeze just as she thought she was going to make contact with him. Dawn began to pull back her hand, for just a moment, then she reached out for Ash once again. But Ash saw her sudden movement out of the corner of his eye and lashed out at her approaching hand.

Dawn gasped as Ash's large hand latched onto her much smaller wrist, squeezing it tightly as he gave her a harsh glare.

"What do you want?" He asked her.

"I just want to help you Ash." She replied through grit teeth, trying to ignore pain from her wrist.

"You can't help me," Ash said in a whisper before releasing his hold on her.

Dawn knew better than to try again, not only for her safety, but Ash's as well. But now she really wanted to know what had caused Ash to revert back to how he was after he discovered Misty's secret relationship.

**Tsugi Academy – Lunch**

**Cafeteria**

"Both Ash and Dawn aren't here." Drew noted out loud as Brock took a seat at the table. "Are they okay?"

"I don't know. Ash wasn't in his room this morning." Brock said which confirmed the suspicions of the group. Something had definitely happened to Ash and Dawn.

"I'm not one to jump to conclusions, but what if Ash threw a fit again while Dawn was visiting him? What if she got hurt?" Marina asked, heading straight for the worst case scenario without missing a beat.

"I doubt it Marina. I'm sure the two of them are fine. Ash must've gone for a walk considering he's still suspended." Brock replied, remaining calm as he took a bite from the sandwich he had picked up.

"But Brock, what if something did happen?" May insisted, forcing Brock to think about the possibilities.

"Alright." Brock began after a sigh. "We'll go check on them in a couple of minutes, I just want to finish eating."

The group waited impatiently as the senior finished his meal, although everyone's focus shifted to Blake as he arrived at the lunch table.

"Blake, have you seen Ash or Dawn?" Marina and May asked together. Blake only tilted his head as he looked at the two girls for a moment, then he began to cackle. This gained an odd stare from the entire table.

"Blake, do you have anything to do with them not being here?" Brock asked, giving him a threatening stare.

"I might." He replied, giving Brock a smirk. This caused every guy present at the table to jump to their feet. "But then again might not."

"What did you do Blake?" Drew demanded.

"I never said that I have anything to do with this. I was just implying it." He responded before drawing a sharp breath when Brock grabbed him by the collarof his shift, hoisting him up into the air.

"Listen, if anything happens to either of them and you're responsible, I swear you'll regret ever meeting me." Brock whispered to Blake, although the boy remained unfazed.

"If you've done something Blake, you better speak up." Paul warned. He had only seen Brock angry one other time in the four years he had known him, and it was one of the few sights Paul could've done without seeing.

"This is none of you're concern. I sent Ash away to find the cure of his 'internal conflict' so to speak, with a little helper." Blake replied with his usual sinister grin.

"Tell me what you did to them!" Brock shouted at him, shaking Blake a bit to show that he wasn't going to hold back.

"What are you going to do Brock?" Blake asked as his grin widened to a point where he was clearly taunting Brock to follow through with his threat.

"This." Brock stated as he threw a fist straight into Blake's jaw which sent him to the ground with a thud. This action had drawn in the attention of the the students seated around them, a few of them wondering if Blake was okay. But his sudden laughter confirmed that he was just fine, if not better than before.

"Just ask Ash when he returns." Blake assured them, snapping his fingers. "Now I've got some business to take care of."

**January 30th**

**Cinnabar Island**

Ash and Dawn stood on northern docks of Cinnabar Island, observing the scene with silent awe. While Ash was accustomed to the sight of snow, Dawn was seeing it for the first time. She had never been to Snowpoint City while she was in Sinnoh, and the southern half of the region was warm enough to escape this weather condition every year.

The two of them had just purchased a proper meal from a small diner, a meal that Ash had wolfed down while dawn had decided to save her own for later own. During the three day boat trip, Ash had only eaten twice, leaving the rest of his trail mix for Dawn to eat since she was completely unprepared, save for the winter gear that had been in her bag. Blake had given her just about everything for this trip except for food, but she was quietly thanking him for giving her these clothes. She would be freezing to the death otherwise.

Ash was still silent and unresponsive to Dawn's attempts at making small talk, so with a sigh Dawn decided to just follow him to his destination. She had seen him buy a ticket for a ferry to Pallet Town, so she had done the same, figuring that Ash was probably going to visit someone who might know or be the cause of his strange behavior.

**February 2nd**

**Pallet Town**

**Southern Docks**

Dawn stepped off the ramp from the ferry, pulling her scarf closer to her neck to block out the biting wind. Pallet Town was ten times worse then what she had felt on Cinnabar Island, but she couldn't complain now. Ash had left her the moment the boat had docked.

Ash hadn't wasted a second. As the ramp was dropped, he raced out toward the small town. Even though it was completely buried om snow, Ash had no trouble locating the cemetery where he began his search. Cleaning what felt like dozens of grave stones, Ash had gone from John to Nancy before he found the name he was looking for.

'Here lies Delia Ketchum.'

* * *

><p><strong>So how was that? Anyone enjoying it because starting here, the pace is going to quicken. Sorry for taking so long to update this time, I've been really busy since finals are coming up.<strong>

**Tell me what you think, I'm practically begging at this point since I want to know what someone thinks.**


	15. Winter Blues in Pallet

**Revised.**

* * *

><p>Part 15<p>

Snow was easily the most beautiful thing Dawn had ever seen in her life. The pictures she had seen of Snowpoint City were nothing compared to the real thing. It was just to fascinating to think that this was nothing more than frozen water. Slapping herself mentally, Dawn wiped the awe off of her face and focused on the problem at hand. She had to find Ash.

He ran off the moment they arrived at Pallet Town, and she was still struggling to navigate her way through the small town.

"Excuse me!" Dawn called out as she wave to a woman that was bundled up for the weather, cleaning off her the pathway that led to her front door

"Hmm, we don't get visitors to often around here, especially during the winter." She noted as she observed Dawn. "What can I do for you honey?"

"Do you know Ash Ketchum?" Dawn asked. The woman brightened up considerably just at the mention of the name as she beamed at Dawn.

"Of course I do, he's the pride and joy of this town." She replied with several nods. Dawn couldn't help but smile since Ash was held in such high esteem by his hometown. Although she would admit that she wasn't surprised by this. Ash was just too lovable.

"Have you seen him pass by at all today?" Dawn went on, noticing how the woman's expression seemed to harden.

"Is he here, in Pallet Town?"

"Yeah, but I lost him after we got off the ferry." Dawn explained sheepishly.

"Then he's probably at the cemetery."

'Cemetery?'

* * *

><p>Looking around the somewhat large plot of land, identified the small piles of snow as the covered gravestones until she eventually spotted someone standing alone in the cemetery, looking off into the distance. Approaching the lone person, Dawn found that he had a full head of gray hair and was doing his best to keep his chin shielded with his scarf.<p>

"Professor Oak?" Dawn exclaimed, gaining his attention at the call of his name.

"Dawn, what are you doing here?" Oak asked, looking down at the girl who chuckled nervously.

"Well, I'm here with Ash. We just got separated when we were coming off of the ferry." She explained. "Someone told me that I would be able to find him here."

"Wait, you're skipping school with him?" He asked, wrinkling his forehead.

"Well it wasn't exactly my idea. You see, Blake and Gallade like, kidnapped me and put me on the boat with Ash."

"Kidnapped you...?" Oak said, looking at Dawn who opened her mouth to continue her explanation. He raised a hand to stop her before she could go on. "You know what, I don't want to know."

The two of them then stood in silence for a few moments as Professor Oak began to look out into the distance again. Following his line of sight, Dawn discovered that their was someone else present in the cemetery besides the two of them. He was a good distance from the two of them, seated in the snow with his gaze firmly fixated on the gravestone in front of him. It was Ash.

"Professor Oak, do you know why Ash is here?" Dawn asked, looking toward the elderly man who sighed in reply.

"His mother died."

"What?" She exclaimed. 'So that's why he was acting so strange.'

"About a week ago." Oak muttered, closing his hand into a tight fist in his coat pocket. "None of us even knew she was sick."

"Do you know...what killed her?" Dawn asked tentatively.

"The doctors diagnosed it as heart disease, although none of them can explain where it came from. It doesn't run in their family, it just appeared." Oak mumbled out for her. "It's aggravating. I could've done something."

"How so?"

"I noticed that she seemed to be tired all of the time. Her breathing was irregular, and she complained about dizziness." Oak continued. "I brushed it off thinking she was exhausted since she was now working without Ash. But now that I look back at it, I wish I had just gone and checked on her more often. Maybe I would've noticed sooner."

"And how has Ash been?" Dawn asked after a long pause.

"I wish I knew. I found him here about an hour ago. He hasn't moved at all." Oak responded. "I don't think talking to him is the best idea right now."

Dawn looked up at the sky with a scowl, then she sneezed quite loudly, although this still didn't disturb Ash.

"Are you cold?" Oak asked her as she sniffled, giving him a nod. "Let's head back to my lab. We'll come back to check on Ash in a bit."

* * *

><p>Dawn spent roughly an hour in the laboratory warming herself up in front of Professor Oak's fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate. Even though it was early in the afternoon, the sun was beginning to set, so Dawn set out to make sure that Ash spend anymore time in the cold. Especially if it got dark.<p>

Returning to the cemetery, Dawn found that it was vacant with the exception of its usual residents. Venturing to the cemetery just to make sure that Ash wasn't hiding, she found something resting on top of the gravestone Ash had been staring at. Brushing off the snow, she found that it was Ash's hat. 'Why would he leave his hat?'

Dawn removed the hat from the grave, taking a step back to clean it off entirely, but as she stepped back she slipped and fell with a yelp. Dawn groaned loudly, muttering about how long it would take to get the snow out of hair . She then began to search the ground around her since she was positive that she had stepped on something odd that was the culprit for making her fall over. Poking something hard buried beneath the snow, Dawn pulled it up to find that it was a device that she recognized. A Poke-ball.

"What's this doing here?" Dawn asked herself as she rose to her feet. Dawn opened up the Poke-ball to see what Pokemon was stored inside, and once again she was surprised with what she found.

"Chaaa..." The small yellow Pokemon said as it stretched a bit before shaking its fur to adjust to the temperature of Pallet Town.

"Pikachu?" Dawn exclaimed before she realized that she had seen the electric type once during the boat ride to Kanto. "Do you know where Ash is?"

Pikachu shook its head in reply before scurrying up Dawn's clothes to get away from the snow. Pikachu wasn't a big fan of the snow, and Dawn's shoulder was much more inviting than the freezing cold ground.

"I wonder where he went?" She asked herself while Pikachu perked up at this.

"Pika!" It said, pointing toward the exit of the cemetery.

"What is it Pikachu?"

"Pi. Pika." It replied, motioning for her to get moving. Dawn didn't refuse, following Pikachu's direction. Clearly it knew more about that town than she did, and it was clear that Pikachu had an idea of where Ash had gone.

* * *

><p>Ash looked about his dark home slowly, standing in front of the front door which he had shut several minutes ago. He had returned to find the house to be clean and cold, but he was still unsure of whether or not he should go further into the house.<p>

'_Take off your shoes before you come in Ash!_' Delia's voice called out to Ash. It was though she were in the house with him, shouting from the kitchen where she spent a lot of time entire cooking or chatting with Mr Mime at the table. Ash obeyed, removing his shoes before he stepped onto the cold wooden floor that sent a chill up his body. He then passed through the living to reach the staircase near the kitchen, looking up the incline where three doorways rested at the top. To his own room, to his mother's room and to the bathroom.

Ash scaled the staircase, coming to a stop once he made it to the top as he studied each of the doors. Nothing had changed about them.

'_Don't forget to brush your teeth every morning young man!'_

Ash pushed open the door to the bathroom, peering inside. It was all the same, and yet the house felt empty. Something was missing. Ash left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him before he went into his own room. He drew a deep breath as he looked about, observing the room he had grown up in. Wallpapers of Pokemon and Poke-balls were all over the room, a well kept bed that was obviously his mother's doing . A messy desk that Ash had never organized. It was although he were still living here.

'_Ash Ketchum, you march yourself up those stairs and fix your bed!'_

'_Aww, mom!'_

'_And put on a clean pair of underwear!' She shouted, causing Ash to turn a deep shade of red as his friends burst into a fit of laughter. _

'_Mom!'_

Ash almost chuckled, almost. The best he could was snort before leaving his room. Heading down the staircase, a small object caught his eye as he reached the bottom of the staircase. A small red and white sphere resting on the table at the center of the living room. It rested alone on the table, bathed the light of the moon from outside. He wouldn't have noticed it otherwise. Ash approached the table, and slowly picked up the Poke-ball, spinning it in his hand only to raise his eyebrows at what was on it. A cursive 'M' was engraved above the trigger to open it.

'This couldn't be...' Ash said, pressing down on the bottom to release the Pokemon held within.

"Mr Mime!" It exclaimed as it took shape, looking around the room frantically.

"Mimey." Ash said softly, watching as it took around the house as though it were searching for something.

"Mime, Mr Mime!" It shouted, running from the kitchen to the bedrooms, to the basement. Mr Mime soon returned to the living room, cupping its hands around its mouth as it continued to yell. Ash knew who it was looking for. His mother.

"Mr Mime." She shouted, silencing the Pokemon who was now frightened as it looked toward him. Ash couldn't bare to look the Pokemon in the eye as he continued. "She's gone."

There was no response.

"She's not coming back...She's gone." Ash waited a few more moments, waiting for Mr Mime's response. He looked up curiously after a minute or two, finding that Mr Mime was frozen where it stood. It was silent as tears rolled down its large cheeks. Ash was a bit taken a back. It had broken down much quicker than he did. But then again, Mimey must've become Delia's closest companion while Ash was away. "Please don't cry, I'll end up crying too..."

Ash trailed off as he looked down , grinding his teeth together as he shut his eyes tightly. But this couldn't stop the tears from escaping. The psychic energy radiating off of Mr Mime projected the emotions of the Pokemon onto Ash, and he soon found himself crying out with it on the floor, their arms wrapped around each other.

Not only that, he was beginning to see something that was currently running through Mr Mime's mind.

* * *

><p><em>It was like any other day in the Ketchum Residence. Mr Mime held its small broom as it passed through the kitchen in search of anything that needed to be removed. Delia, quietly rested in the living room, occasionally calling to see if Mr Mime needed any help. <em>

_Mr Mime had taken notice to how exhausted Delia been during the past couple of days, and insisted that she rest while it handled the chores. It had taken a lot of reasoning with the woman, but she eventually collapsed one day which convinced her to rest more._

_"Mime, mime." Mr Mime said to itself as it hummed a short tune. Then the sound of glass shattering caught its attention. It had come from the living room. "Mime?"_

_Entering the living room, Mr Mime found Delia leaning against the fireplace with a hand on her chest as she winced in pain. She could pull in shallow breathes as Mr Mime rushed over to her, checking to see if she was alright._

_"I'm okay...Mimey." She got out, assuring the panicking Pokemon that she was fine. It took some more convincing to get Mr Mime to move away from her, but when it did Delia requested that it clean up the picture frame she had dropped. Mr Mime obeyed, turning its back to her to go fetch the broom it had left in the kitchen. With all he remaining strength she could muster, Delia snatched the Poke-ball off the mantel of the fireplace and pointed it at Mr Mime. _

_A thin red ray of light extended from the ball to Mr Mime, engulfing it in light before it was pulled back into its Poke-ball with a gasp. Delia gulped as her hand trembled, unable to support herself any longer as she dropped to the floor. The most she was capable of doing at this point was reaching for the picture she dropped, pulling out the moment in time from among the pieces of glass._

_It was a picture of herself, Ash when he was ten and Mimey when they had first gotten it. She could remember that day clearly. She was smiling alongside her son and Mimey, giving the camera a peace sign, although the man behind the camera remained a dark silhouette._

* * *

><p>Dawn and Pikachu peered into Ash's home through the window, spotting him on the couch with Mr Mime where they sobbed loudly together.<p>

'Poor Ash.' Dawn said to herself. It was painful to watch Ash mourn over the loss of his mother like his. She had seen Ash when he was happy, angry, tired, bored clueless or lost. She had even seen him when he fell apart after his breakup with Misty, but he shed no tears for her. But seeing him like this really tore her up.

"Pike." Pikachu said, pressing its nose against the window.

"How about we just leave them alone for now Pikachu." Dawn suggested. Ash hated to look weak in front of people, and Dawn wouldn't subject him to that if he was already suffering.

**February 3rd**

**Ketchum Residence**

Dawn returned to Ash's house the next morning to see if he was alright. Ash had left the door unlocked which seemed to stupid to Dawn, but at the same time this was such a peaceful town that she doubted anyone would try to break in. When she entered, she found Ash seated on the sofa by himself, staring down at a picture that he had collected from the floor.

"Ash, are you okay?" Dawn asked as she approached him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired and cold." He replied.

"You should come to Professor Oak's lab. It's much warmer there." Dawn said, motioning to the door.

"No...I want to stay here a bit longer."

"Do you want some company?" Dawn offered hopefully.

"No really, but if you want to stay I'm fine with it." Ash answered in a monotone.

Dawn took a seat beside him on the couch, studying his expression. Then leaned over curiously to get a look at the picture he had been staring at. She instantly recognized Ash in the picture, even though he was seven year younger. His face hadn't changed very much since then. Dawn then focused on the woman in the picture. She was quite young, but she could see a slight resemblance of Ash in her.

"Is that your mom?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah."

"She's beautiful." Dawn said, getting a small snort from Ash. "Something wrong?"

"Whenever someone would compliment her, she had the hardest time accepting it." Ash explained with a sigh. "You'd be surprised what you'd remember about someone when they're gone."

"Where are you going Ash?" Dawn asked as he rose up from the chair, making his way toward the front door.

"For a walk. Do you wanna come?"

**February 9th**

Dawn Berlitz walked quietly along one of the many dirt pathways that led around Pallet Town, heading toward Ash's house. Event though the snow was finally beginning to melt away, she was still amazed with how beautiful it looked. Dawn had to admit that when she wasn't around Ash, she was acting like a complete dork in the snow since she had never experienced this before. It was wonderful.

But despite all this, Dawn found herself in a daze as she tried to figure out exactly what was going through Ash's head right now. Her certainly wasn't as bad as when he found out what had been going on with Misty, but she was still worried about him. He had been slow to respond during their conversation, but he was eating and smiling occasionally. But she didn't like the smile he wore. All of them were forced, and his eyes always said otherwise when he feigned happiness. He was far from the Ash she knew.

He was quieter, and that intensity that used to roll off of Ash in waves as though he were star were gone. He was just there, like a body with no soul.

Their most recent conversations were odd. They were becoming shorter and short, to the point where Ash didn't want to talk. He just sat in silence, thinking most of the time. He would leave for walks and disappear for hours, and return late in the night when it was getting too cold to stay outside. All this left Dawn unnerved.

"Hey Ash!" Dawn called out as she entered his house, removing the boots she had been wearing to trek through the snow. "Did you eat breakfast?"

There was no reply, forcing Dawn to quickly shuffle her way into the kitchen in search of Ash. The kitchen was empty. Not even Mr Mime was there.

"Where's Mr Mime?" Dawn asked herself, recalling how the Pokemon had always been present during her visits. "Maybe they're upstairs."

Dawn made her way over to the staircase, climbing the stairs by two's as she called out to Ash. When she made it to the top, she found that the door to Ash's room was closed, and Mr Mime wasn't in Delia's room or the bathroom which left her alarmed.

"Ash?" She called out again, pounding on the door which flung open from the contact of her fist. Dawn stepped in the room, her gaze instantly becoming focused on the body that rested on the floor with the carpet around it stained red. Taking a step back, Dawn had to rub her eyes viciously before looking into the room once more. Her eyes were not deceiving her. "Ash!"

Dawn screamed as she ran over to his side, but she could only stare in horror as she found a number of knives on the opposite side of Ash, with one particular blade that was coated in red being held by Ash. His hands were trembling as he released his hold on the knife, allowing there red blade to fall onto the carpet as Dawn dropped down beside him.

"Ash!"

**Professor Oak's Laboratory**

Dawn and Professor Oak sat outside one of the larger rooms of Professor Oak's lab that had quickly been turned into an operating room for the doctor to tend to Ash. It was rare this doctor was called for his actual profession in Pallet Town, but boy was Oak glad to know that someone like him lived in Pallet Town.

"Calm down Dawn and start from the beginning." Professor Oak repeated as he tried to get Dawn to calm down.

All he knew at the moment was that Ash had been found with two self inflicted stab wounds to his lower torso. Dawn had come rushing to his lab, screaming for help. Oak had sent his two assistants to help her, only for them to return with Ash in an unconscious state. Dawn had been sobbing and trying to explain what happened at the same time but her story didn't make much sense to him.

'I had a feeling Ash wouldn't take it took well.' Oak said to himself, regretting the call he had made to Ash once Dawn had explained the story to him. But Ash was also the last person Oak would have ever though would commit suicide. Roughly a half an hour after Dawn relating what had happened, the doctor stepped out of his makeshift operating with his wife who was capable of offering assistance with her medical knowledge.

"How is he?" Professor Oak asked, rising to his feet with Dawn.

"He'll be fine. Fortunately he missed his vitals so its nothing serious. He could have potentially bled to dead if no one had found him, but that won't happen now." The doctor explained. "I'm no psychologist, but can you think of any reasons for him to do something like this?"

Oak placed his thumb on his chin, looking up in though.

"Well he recently found out that his girlfriend had been cheating him back in school." Dawn said, gaining their attention. "He really loved her, but she paid no mind to him. And when he found out, he was crushed."

"Misty was...cheating on him?" Oak exclaimed, getting a nod from Dawn.

"After that he lost his Rank in the Top 10, and then he got suspended from school. Basically he hit an all time low." Dawn explained. "And he hasn't been the same since then."

"I see." The doctor trailed off.

"Doctor, when do you think we'll be able to speak with him?" Dawn asked.

"Give him at least a day to rest."

**February 10th**

**Oak's Lab**

"Let me in, I want to talk to him!"

Ash could hear a shrill voice shouting from outside his room and several bangs on the door, but that was the last thing on his mind. Soon the door to his room burst open, revealing Dawn who was being held back by the doctor.

"See, he's awake!" Dawn exclaimed, pointing toward Ash.

"Alright."

"So I can talk him?"

"I suppose." He replied, releasing his hold on Dawn so that she could go further into the while the doctor left the duo of teenagers alone. There was a long silence between the two of them as dawn remained standing, staring at Ash who wore a blank expression. It seemed like he still has hadn't noticed her presence in the room.

"Ash." Dawn said, snapping him out of his daze. He looked toward her, making eye contact with her. His eyes, they were cold and empty, similar to what she had seen room when they were on the ferry heading to Kanto. "What the hell were you doing?"

Ash remained silent.

"Why would you do something like that to yourself?" Dawn said as she approached his bed, stopping by his side as they looked at each other. Her heavy breathing was the only thing that could be heard int he silence.

"I don't know..." Ash finally spoke. "I don't know why I'm still here."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked in a hushed tone.

"What am I here for? Why am I alive? Misty was going behind my back doing all kinds of crap with that bastard. I'm probably the biggest loser on the Tsugi Academy. I lost Pikachu's trust. Then mom died. I've got nothing left to be here for." Ash explained, looking down at his hands which he had closed in tight fists as he spoke.

Dawn only stared at him with wide eyes before her jaw tightened.

Then she slapped him.

Right across the face.

Ash gasped as his cheek stung from the blow. Placing one hand on his cheek, Ash looked back at the girl, discovering that their were tears streaming down her cheeks.

"That's why you tried to kill yourself?!" She shouted at him. "What about all your friends back at the Tsugi Academy? What about Brock and Paul? What about May and Drew, and Jimmy and Marina?! What about me Ash? What about me?"

Ash's expression of shock remained as Dawn continued.

"Did you ever think about us? That you'd be leaving us Ash? We all care about you, and we'd be devastated if you were gone." Dawn went on. "I don't know what I'd do if you were gone Ash!"

"Dawn...I-" Ash began, but she interrupted him with no signs of letting up.

"I always thought you were the bravest person I had ever met, but now when I look at you, I see someone who tried to run from their problems instead of facing them." Dawn said as she turned away from Ash, making her way toward the door. "You're nothing but a coward Ash Ketchum."

And with that, she left.

**February 12th**

Two days had come and past, time which Professor Oak spent arranging for a ferry to pick up Dawn and deliver her to the Tsugi Academy.

Dawn hadn't spoken to him one after her little rant, doing her absolute best to avoid the raven haired boy at every opportunity. Her behavior now left Oak confused, but he decided to label this one as teenage drama since he had enough on his plate to deal with. Now Dawn and Oak stood on the pier at the southern tip of Pallet Town as the ferry docked before them.

"Dawn!" Ash shouted, waving both his hands frantically as he came running onto the dock. The ramp was lowered for Dawn as she paid no mind to Ash, beginning to scale the ramp. Professor Oak intervened before Ash could jump on the ferry, obviously concerned with Ash's condition.

"Where do you think you're going Ash?" He asked, observing Ash who looked far better than he had in the past couple of weeks.

"Back to school." Ash said, motioning to the ferry. Dawn listened in to their conversation from above, raising an eyebrow at his response.

"I don't think you're ready to return physically yet Ash." Oak replied, although he was referring more to Ash's mental side than anything else.

"Are you kidding me, this the best I've felt in a while." Ash exclaimed, rolling neck to prove his point. "I can take on anything now."

"You're still recovering from those wounds."

"The doctor told me that the Chansey treatment did wonders for the wound. He said I'm good enough to head back to the island and let Nurse Joy finish the treatment." Ash explained. Oak looked at him skeptically before sighing. He wasn't sure what to expect from Ash, but with him appearing to be so upbeat for the first time in a while, it was like a breath of fresh air.

"…Alright." Oak said, moving aside for the boy to join Dawn on the boat. Giving her a wave as he got on, Dawn only turned away from him with a huff before walking away.

**Tsugi Academy - Lunch**

**Outside Cafeteria**

The entire cafeteria of the Tsugi Academy that would normally be packed with hungry students at this point in the day was completely empty. Everyone had abandoned their lunches in order watch the battle that was taking place on the open field behind the cafeteria.

It was Fiona versus Blake. One of those few opportunities a year where a battle between Ranks could be seen. No one planned on missing it.

"Feraligatr, are you alright?" Fiona called out to her Pokemon who was resting on one knee, breathing heavily as it glared at its opponent.

Blake cackled loudly as the entire crowded watched in silence. His Gallade stood several yards away from Feraligatr, only possessing a few scratches on its body. Feraligatr on the other hand was coated with bruises and cuts as it was thoroughly dominated by the quicker Gallade. There wasn't much it could do to defend itself against Gallade.

"Are you ready to surrender sweetie?" Blake asked with a dark smile.

"Never!" Fiona replied as she glared at him. But she could only ask herself 'Why is this freak so strong?'

* * *

><p><strong>Part 15. Faster post, an hopefully I'll be able to keep this pace since I know the long update times have been bugging everyone.<strong>

**So how was this one. I thought it was kind of shaky, but I'd like your opinion too. So please review! Did Ash's drastic decision seem stupid or unrealistic to you? And what about Dawn's reaction?**


	16. Return of the Ketchum Boy

Part 16

"Gallade, finish them off. Use Leaf Blade!" Blake said, pointing at Feraligatr with a dark smile.

"Feraligatr, dodge it!" Fiona shouted as Gallade burst forward, racing toward Feraligatr. The Gator Pokemon grunted as it forced itself back up onto two feet, glaring at Gallade.

"Lade!" The Blade Pokemon, landing a slow swipe to Feraligatr's stomach before jumping to its side. Feraligatr roared from the hit, lashing out at Gallade with its sharp claws. Failing to hit the Blade Pokemon, Feraligatr continued to dish out attacks at the faster Pokemon who easily evaded its attack while landing a chain of attacks on its opponent.

"Feraligatr, shake it off with Superpower!" Fiona shouted. Feraligatr's speed was far below Gallade's, and that alone was the sole factor that contributed to the one-sided battle between the two Pokemon. Gallade jumped back from Feraligatr as the Gator flexed its biceps which gained a silver glow.

"Use Psycho Cut!" Blake called out.

As Gallade took some distance from Feraligatr, a white pulse was fired out from the Gator Pokemon in all directions. The field continued to expand, moving out toward Gallade who's forearms had gained a pinkish glow.

"Gal…Lade!" It shouted, swinging both his arms toward Feraligatr. Firing two crescent shaped energy waves at Feraligatr that pierced through the expanding field, Gallade watched in silence as Feraligatr was hit by the two blasts.

"Feraligatr!" The Pokemon roared as it was knocked to the ground.

"Finish it with Leaf Blade!" Blake said, watching Gallade leap into the air while its elbow extended, gaining a greenish glow. Dropping down on to Feraligatr, Gallade thrusted both of its arms into its chest to finish off the Gator Pokemon with a super effective hit. Feraligatr gave off a soft groan before its eyes were replaced with black swirls.

"Feraligatr, no." Fiona said before noticing Blake's wide smile.

"It looks like this is my win." Blake said as he walked toward Fiona's Feraligatr, motioning for Gallade to step away from it.

Everyone watched as Fiona dropped her head, tightening both her fists as she realized that she had been utterly defeated by Blake.

Dropping down on Feraligatr's stomach, Blake gave the Gator Pokemon an odd look, finding that its scaly skin was uncomfortable to sit on before shrugging it off. He then took a look at the crowd of students that had been watching their battle.

"Ranks 1 through 4, I've got something to say!" Blake shouted, calling out four students that had been mixed into the crowd. "You've all seen how strong I am, I want you all to know that by the time this school year is over, I will have Rank 1. And the Freshman will be backing me up all the way."

Giving them one last smile, his tongue peeking out of his mouth, Blake lifted his right hand high into the air. He gave them a thumbs up at first, but then he turned his thumb downward toward the ground. The declaration of war.

**Ferry**

Ash sat alone in his cabin, Pikachu still contained with in its Poke-ball. He needed some more time to think before he tried to conversing with the Pokemon.

His actions in Pallet Town were reckless, and he knew that. But the shock of his mother dying sent him for a loop, and his cooping methods were incredibly stupid now that he looked back at it. It started out with just plain depression the day he spent at the cemetery, know that his mother was six feet below ground, but then he began to feel numb, not physically, but mentally.

He had become a blank slate when he saw his mother's grave stone, and when the sadness was finally gone, Ash couldn't feel anything. The whole week he was in his home, Ash was trying to get himself to feel again. Sadness was gone, happiness was out of the question. He couldn't muster any rage, not even his hate for Gary. Pain was nonexistent. He simply felt nothing.

And that feeling was had driven Ash to a point where he became desperate, coupled with his crash in the Tsugi Academy, pushed Ash to the point where he wanted anything. Then came the day he spent the whole night awake, lying on the floor of his bedroom before noticing a pair of scissors on his desk. They were quite sharp, sharp enough to cut the skin on his forearm without too much trouble.

The slight tearing feeling of his skin being cut was what he had been looking for. A knife could do a better job than the scissors, a much better job. In the kitchen Ash found one, and using it to make a larger cut on his arm before looking to his wrists. They were shallow cuts at first, but the more he did it, the more of it he wanted. Then he had stabbed himself. From there everything was a hazy mess until he woke up in Professor Oak's Lab.

With a day of recuperation, Ash realized what he had almost done to himself, but then he came to the quick conclusion that it was best since he had already lost everything that was worth living for.

Then came the words from Dawn. They had really hit him, not just because Dawn did so physically, but because they were true. He had stabbed himself thinking he could just leave everything behind, but Dawn was right. He was running away. He didn't want to face Gary or Misty, no matter how angry he was at them. He didn't want to see his friends after his string of violent actions and odd behavior. He didn't want to deal with any of it. Dawn had every right to call him a coward.

But she had also reminded Ash that even though his mother was gone, he still had friends at the Tsugi Academy that he couldn't leave behind. Not only that, now Ash had to face all his problems and prove his worth to the bluenette who had seen his downfall.

Groaning, Ash could feel a sharp pain come from the deep, self inflicted wound on his torso. This would be his reminder that running away wouldn't solve his problems.

**February 15th – Late Afternoon**

**Tsugi Island**

**Southern Docks**

Dawn and Ash stood together on the docks, watching the ferry disappear into the vast ocean with Pikachu who was resting on top of the bluenette's shoulder It wasn't until the morning Dawn was leaving did Ash begin to wonder about the whereabouts of his Electric type partner, receiving the news from Professor Oak that it was going to return with Dawn to the Tsugi Academy.

This was one of the few reason why Ash made a frantic scramble that morning to catch the ferry. There was no way he was going to let that much distance separate him an Pikachu before he apologized the Electric Mouse about his behavior.

Not even sparing Ash a word, Dawn and Pikachu made their way toward the paved road that led to the Tsugi Academy, leaving Ash at the docks.

"Pikachu, return." Ash said suddenly, raising a Poke-ball which he pointed toward Pikachu. A red light extended from the middle of the Poke-ball, all the way to Pikachu who was perched on Dawn's shoulder. As red light made contact with Pikachu, the Electric Mouse was pulled back into its Poke-ball against its will

Taking note of the odd look he was getting from Dawn, Ash gave her a quick wave which she brushed off before continuing to leave him.

'Haa, I guess this is going to be harder than I thought.' Ash muttered to himself, dropping his head low before remembering the first thing on his list.

Once he was sure Dawn had left him alone at the docks, Ash tossed Pikachu's Poke-ball into the air, releasing it from its container.

"Pika." It said, looking around a bit before glancing at Ash. "Pi…"

"Pikachu…I want to, apologize." Ash began, kneeling down in front of the Pokemon who turned away from him with a huff, crossing its arms in front its chest.

"Pika." It replied, beginning to walk in the direction Dawn had left in on its hind legs. As Pikachu took some distance from Ash, there was a slight tug at its tail that prevented it from moving any further. Looking back, Pika found Ash holding onto its tail delicately with just his finger tips to avoid angering and or harming Pikachu.

"Please Pikachu, just hear me out." Ash begged, going down onto both his knees so that he was almost on eye level with Pikachu.

"Pi…" Pikachu responded, glancing at Ash over its shoulder.

"Thanks." Ash said before sighing while releasing his hold on Pikachu's tail. He thought it would be a lot harder to get Pikachu to listen to him, but if it was willing to be attentive, then he'd use that the to the fullest. "Remember that battle we had against the Freshman that beat us?"

Pikachu gave him a glare. Of course it remember that humiliating loss. Pikachu was among the top 10 strongest Pokemon in the Tsugi Academy, so suffering a loss to a trainer that was on the lowest level of the Tsugi Academy was hard for it to swallow. Especially since Ash was the culprit that had caused this.

"I really want to apologize to you Pikachu. I don't know what I was thinking that day. Everything with Misty and Gary had me acting funny, I couldn't think straight." Ash explained.

"Pika." Pikachu muttered. "Pi…Pika-chu. Pika!"

"Yes, I remember what Professor Oak told us before we left Pallet Town to come to the Tsugi Academy." Ash replied.

"Pika-chu?"

"He told us that if we plan to take this seriously after graduation, I can't let outside feelings alter how I battle. It should be just myself and my Pokemon." Ash said, paraphrasing what Professor Oak had told him when he was younger.

"Pika." It said with a nod. "Pika-chu, Pi?"

"I know, not only did I let myself down, but I really let you down too didn't I?" Ash asked, observing the small Electric Mouse that had turned around to look at him properly now. "My number one priority in a battle should be my Pokemon and nothing else, I won't forget that again."

"Pika-chu?"

"Yes, I promise." Ash said, getting a small smile from Pikachu who turned around, putting out its tail toward him.

"Pi!" It said, swinging its tail a bit. A signal that it wanted Ash to hold its tail again.

"Umm, okay." Ash said, following its request. Sparks began to fly from Pikachu's cheeks as it built up electricity in its body.

"Pika-chu!" It shouted, releasing a Thunderbolt attack from its tail to Ash's body, getting a scream from the boy wasn't prepared for the attack.

After roasting Ash for a full fifteen seconds, Pikachu cut off its attack which threw Ash backward a few feet. Landing on his back, Ash groaned loudly before feeling a small increase in weight on his stomach.

"Ouch Pikachu." He muttered with a smile, noticing that his partner was now resting on his stomach. "But I guess I earned that one. It's good to have you back buddy."

"Pika!"

**Nurse's Office**

"Ash Ketchum?" Nurse Joy exclaimed when he entered the room clutching his side. "We've all been worried sick about you!"

"It's nice to see you too Nurse Joy, but can we skip that right now?" Ash asked, limping into her room which gained a concerned look from the woman.

"Excuse me for a minute." She said to the Freshman she had just been tending to who gave her a nod.

Rushing over to Ash, Joy assisted him over to one of the beds where he was placed on his back after he was told to remove his shirt. She gasped when the saw the wound on the side of his torso before calling for her Chansey to come get to work on him.

"Chan-sey." The round, pink Pokemon said as it entered the room, rushing over to Ash's bed were it began to the healing process Ash had explained to Nurse Joy.

While Chansey worked on Ash, Nurse Joy freely questioned the boy as to what happened to him and why he disappeared suddenly. Giving her the entire explanation, Nurse Joy understood what was bothering Ash so much, and forgave him for his actions. Then she warned that if he did anything like this again, she wouldn't cover up for him with Principal Spruce.

When Nurse Joy told him she was willing to go that far for him, Ash couldn't explain how much relief had washed over him. But he could hear Dawn's words in the back of his mind.

"No thanks Nurse Joy." Ash replied, getting a pair of raised eyebrows from the woman.

"You really plan to go straight up to Principal Spruce?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah…I've been running from a lot of stuff lately. But I've decided that I can't run from anything else. I have to start facing my problems." Ash said firmly, getting a soft smile from Nurse Joy.

"I'm glad to see you're being so mature about." She said. "It's quite charming actually. I'm sure Dawn will see the man you're turning into."

Ash let out a heavy sigh.

"I doubt that. I really think I ruined everything Dawn saw me as that morning she found out I tried to kill myself. I don't think she'll ever respect me, or like me again." Ash mumbled out.

"No need to get down, just say on the path you've started on. I'm sure she'll start to notice you in no time."

"I hope so." Ash muttered, watching Nurse Joy who returned to the Freshman she had been helping earlier, bandaging up their rest. "What happened?"

"Oh, a Sophomore pushed me while I was going down stairs earlier at the Academy. I landed on my wrist." He replied.

"Was it on purpose?"

"I think it was, they didn't even apologize. They just ran off."

"Gee, that's odd."

**February 16th**

**Period 4**

**Cafeteria**

Ash stood alone at the staircase leading into the lunch room holding his lunch tray that held the usual amount of food he could eat in one sitting. He had already spotted his usual lunch table, with his usual friends seated there anc chatting. But he was nervous.

He had already finished talking to Spruce who came to a compromise with Ash. So long as he made up the work he had missed, Spruce wouldn't place any severe punishments on him. It was one major relief, but now Ash faced the next step in returning to the Tsugi Academy. His friends, and the students who had seen him act like a wild animal, going as far as to harm several people.

Switching from one foot to another, Ash scanned the large room. Everything was exactly how he left it. But at the same time, while it looked the same, Ash was sure there would differences that he would have to adjust to.

"Is that, Ash?" Brock exclaimed, recognizing the dark haired boy who was standing alone at the staircase leading into the cafeteria.

The entire table quickly searched the cafeteria for their friend that had been missing for some time, seeing that was indeed Ash who was standing alone. The entire table, with the exception of Paul rushed over to their friend, greeting him by slapping his back and giving him hugs. They all silently listened to his explanation of disappearance, and were more than happy to have him back now.

"But where's Dawn?" Ash asked, noticing that the bluenette wasn't present at the table that the group was returning.

"Over there." Blake said, pointing out a head of blue hair that was seated on the other end of the cafeteria.

"Why's she sitting with Conway?"

"I think she's still disappointed with you Ash." May replied. "I'm a little disappointed to, but I'm glad to see your rebounding nicely."

"Thanks May."

"Well look who's back." A snarky voice called out. "If it isn't Ashy boy."

Glancing over his shoulder, Ash found Gary and Misty standing behind him, arm in arm. Turning around on his seat to face them properly, Ash took a moment to stare at the both them.

It was strange, he felt no animosity toward them now. He would always hold something against Gary, but looking at the rosy cheeked Misty clinging onto his arm, Ash realized he had to leave the girl in his past now.

"Can I do something for you?" Ash asked after taking a deep breath, rising to his feet.

"I thought I'd drop by and say hello since you haven't been around to much." Gary replied before smirking. "And I thought you'd like to see Misty when she's happy in a relationship."

The entire table froze up, everyone looking toward Ash now.

Ash looked down, a smile creeping on his lips which gained a grin from Blake who was picking at his food with a fork. Gary, Misty and all his friends gave him an odd look when Ash began to chuckle, before looking up at the couple with a smile.

"I'm happy for you Misty, it's good to see you finally smiling so much. You really are beautiful when you smile." Ash said, getting a look of awe from the girl. "And I'd like to apologize for my behavior, I should've realized sooner that was I failing to do my part in our relationship Misty. I hope you have fun with Gary."

"Um, thanks Ash." Misty replied, surprised with how much calmer Ash was toward her and Gary. She was expecting some hard times after Ash's first display, but seeing the raven haired boy reacting so calmly now blew away all her worries.

Ash then looked toward Gary, his eyes becoming sharper which gained a smirk from the brunette.

"Make sure you treat her well Gary." Ash whispered to him before placing his hand on Gary's shoulder, giving him a smile. "Good luck."

'Perfect.' Blake said, beginning to cackle out loud as Ash waved to Misty and Gary as they left. 'It looks as though Ash Ketchum is finally back. Now would be a good time to finish restoring him while he's so confident in himself.'

"Blake, what are you laughing about?" Marina asked, silencing the boy.

"Ash Ketchum, I want you challenge Fiona to a battle." Blake declared, rising from his seat.

"Fiona? I can't beat her in a battle." Ash said with a sullen expression.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"But you're acting just like how Dawn described you. If you want everyone to know you're not that failure from your last match, you have to beat Fiona and show the whole damn school just how skilled you are." Blake said with a smirk.

Ash remained silent for a moment, truly giving it some thought. What harm could come if he lost the battle?

"I'll do it…just as soon as I finish my lunch."

* * *

><p>"Fiona, I challenge you to an official one on one Pokemon battle!" Ash shouted, approaching the table of Juniors, pointing at the dark haired girl. The cafeteria became the silent at the mention of a challenge.<p>

"Why should I accept?" She asked in return, looking up at Ash. "You don't have a Rank, so a battle with you would just be a wast of my time."

"So are you afraid to battle someone without a Rank?" Ash asked tauntingly, remembering what Blake had told him to say if Fiona refused.

"No, I only battle those who can give me a battle of decent quality." Fiona stated, which left Ash a bit baffled. Blake had assured him that Fiona would respond to that, but now that she hadn't, he was a bit clueless as to what he should say. "And from what I saw in your last battle, you have nothing to offer me."

Something clicked in the back of Ash's mind.

"That's a bold claim. Making a judgment like that based solely on one match could cost you." Ash declared.

"Oh really, does that mean you think you could give me a run for my money?" She asked, rising from her seat.

"I'm sure I could."

"Then I accept your challenge, let's take this outside."

Outside the cafeteria, a crowd had gathered around Ash and Fiona who stood a good distance from each other, their Pokemon out and ready to battle in the area that was designated for their battle.

"Are you ready to begin?" Fiona asked, looking across the field at Ash who gave her a nod.

"Ready Pikachu?" Ash asked his partner.

"Pika!" It replied confidently, looking up at Fiona's Feraligatr who was giving Pikachu a mean glare.

"Feraligatr, start off with Dragon Claw!" Fiona commanded. Feraligatr took off in a charge toward Pikachu, its claws gaining a purple claw as it closed in on the Electric Mouse Pokemon.

"Dodge it Pikachu." Pikachu jumped out of the path of Feraligatr's downward attack, Feraligatr's hand leaving a sizable dent in the ground.

"Now use Hydro Pump Feraligatr!" Looking in the direction Pikachu had moved in, Feraligatr roared before unleashing a powerful jet of water aimed at Pikachu who had just landed.

"Pikachu, use Agility to dodge it!" Ash yelled. Some of the dirt surrounding Pikachu was kicked up into the air before it disappeared, avoiding the Hydro Pump with ease. "Now use Thunderbolt."

Pikachu appeared a good distance behind Feraligatr, electricity began to spark from its cheeks before it fired a large bolt toward the Gator Pokemon.

"Feraligatr, use Dragon Claw to deflect it." Fiona said calmly. Turning around on one heel, Feraligatr put out one hand with its claws extended to intercept the Thunderbolt. The Electric type attack was sent upward into the air, Feraligatr taking no damage from the attack.

"Pikachu, go in with Quick Attack!"

"Pika!" The Electric Mouse charged in at Feraligatr, ramming it in the torso but Feraligatr remained firm from the attack.

"Take it down!" Fiona shouted. Feraligatr dropped its large hand down onto Pikachu, slamming it into the ground before attacking with its Dragon Claw enhanced hand.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted as the Feraligatr continued its assault his partner, landing several hard swipes on Pikachu who couldn't get away. "Use Thunder!"

"Feraligatr, jump back!"

The Gator Pokemon stopped its attack, but before it could get away from Pikachu, it disappeared inside Pikachu's massive electrical shroud. Fiona could hear the roar of her partner, astounded with Pikachu's strength. After a few moments, the attack ended with Feraligatr being sent flying backward, suffering from some heavy electrical damage.

Observing Pikachu, Ash could see some large scratches all over its body, but it was standing strong.

"Good job with that Thunder Pikachu!" Ash shouted, giving his partner a smile which it returned before focusing on Feraligatr once again.

"I think Ash is having fun." Paul noted, noticing the smile Ash had on his face since the battle had begun.

'It's good to see you're finally back Ash.' Brock said with a smile. He hadn't seen Ash smile while battling in a long time, and it was good to finally see his friend acting normal again.

'Now that's the Ash Ketchum I remember…' Dawn said to herself, standing with Conway near the battlefield.

"Pikachu, let's continue with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, seeing this was an excellent time to attack Feraligatr while the paralysis was affecting it.

"Block it with Dragon Claw Feraligatr!" Fiona shouted, watching Feraligatr weakly raise its left arm where began to prepare a Dragon Claw for defense.

Taking the Thunderbolt with its claws, Feraligatr did its best to hold the Dragon Claw up, but the purple aura around its hand was quickly beginning to fade.

"Pikachu, give the Thunderbolt a wave motion!" Ash shouted. Despite Ash's funny orders, Pikachu understood what its trainer was ordering it to do. The Thunderbolt attack it had been firing at Feraligatr in a straight line now began to wiggle up and down, hitting Feraligatr's hand at varies points which quickened how fast the Dragon Claw was fading.

"Quickly Feraligatr, deflect it!" Fiona shouted, seeing that the Thunder Bolt was beginning to break through its Dragon Claw defense. Feraligatr twisted its upper body while pushing its hand upward which threw the Thunderbolt in an arc off the battle field.

Fiona sighed with relief seeing they had escaped that attack, but as she looked at Feraligatr, she noticed that it was holding its left arm. Electricity was crackling around its left arm, and the Gator Pokemon was obviously in pain from this.

'I knew Ash Ketchum was good, but he's a lot stronger than I thought.' Fiona said to herself. She knew a battle against a Pikachu would be tough, but Ash was getting smarter as the battle went on.

"Alright Pikachu, its time to finish this!" Ash declared confidently, grabbing the visor of his hat. He then proceeded to turn it around while keeping it on his head, a large smile on his face.

Ash's declaration had caused an uproar among the spectators, many thinking he was becoming over confident, but a few people in the crowd were speechless.

'Boy, I haven't seen that in months.' Brock said, looking toward Fiona who he knew was either finished, or in for a tough run for her money.

"Come on Ash, you can do it!" May, Marina, Jimmy and Drew shouted together, cheering for their friend.

Conway glanced at the bluenette standing beside him. She appeared to speechless as she looked at Ash.

'I knew she still had feelings for him.' Conway said to himself, readjusting his glasses. 'I guess that means I have my work cut out for me.'

Dawn could only stare at Ash, remaining silent. Seeing him with a radiant smile on his face as he battled brought a smile to her face as she caught a glimpse of the guy she had thought was gone.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack." Ash commanded.

"Pika-chu!" It said, racing toward Feraligatr.

"Feraligatr, stop Pikachu with Hydro Pump!" Fiona said. Feraligatr opened up its maw to fire another jet of water toward Pikachu who side stepped the attack before continuing its straight path toward its opponent.

"Now charge a Thunderbolt into your tail and jump!" Ash added. Pikachu leaped toward Feraligatr's head, its tail taking on a yellow halo. "Now wrap all of this up with Iron Tail!"

Gaining a white glow inside the halo, Pikachu performed a forward flip to drop its tail down onto the top of Feraligatr's head. As Pikachu's tail made contact with Feraligatr's skull, it released a powerful electrical current onto the Water type, taking out a large portion of its remaining health. The rest of its health was taken out by the force of the Iron Tail hitting its head which sent it to the ground with a hard thud.

Pikachu landed on top of it, panting but standing. Then it turned around to face Ash, giving him a peace sign when Feraligatr's eyes became replaced with black swirls.

"We did it!" Ash said happily, rushing over to his partner who he absorbed in a hug.

Inside the school's internal system's Fiona was bumped out of the Top 10, Ash Ketchum taking her place as Rank 6. It took a few moments for it to register in everyone mind's Ash had won, but they all burst into cheers for the duo, everyone except for the Freshman that still held some form of resentment toward Ash.

"Nice job Ash!" All his friends came rushing to crowd around him, Brock, Drew and Jimmy lifting him into the air.

Ash wore the biggest smile could put on. With his partner on his shoulder, and his friends along side him, it almost seemed like he had too much to live for.

Slowly walking way from the crowd of parading students was Blake who was silent, impressed with Ash's true skill level as a Pokemon trainer.

'I was right, his relationship with Misty was affecting his battle strength. But now that-that whole mess is over, now we can focus on advancing the plot toward the finale.' Blake said mentally with a growing smirk.

* * *

><p>"I thought you said he wouldn't recover anytime soon." Gina exclaimed, looking toward Gary Oak who was leaning against a tree. The two of them were standing on top a hill that over looked the area Ash and Fiona had just battled in.<p>

"Everything happened earlier than we planned on. That day he found me and Misty in her room wasn't supposed to happen, and I'm sure it has something to do with Blake." Gary replied, scanning the area for the Freshman who had already left.

"Well now we have two people to worry about. If Ash can battle how he did during his Sophomore year, he'll be on an even level with me in no time."

"Don't worry about that, we still have a few tricks of our own to keep things the way they are."

"It doesn't involve losing anyone else, does it?"

"Possibly. I don't know if I'll have to take that route yet, but for now we just have to keep things the way they are."

"Things had better work out Gary, I can't afford to lose my Rank."

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, long wait, I know. But my finals exams are over, so my schedule has opened up some more hours for me to work on this.<strong>

**Tell me what you think of this chapter, and Ash's one-eighty from trying to kill himself to trying to redeem himself in front of Dawn. I'm open for all critiques, and I really want to know if it seemed realisitic or not so drop a line ( but more would be appreciated ).**

**Anyway, R & R, and enjoy your summer vacation for any of you who get out of school sometime this week! :D**


	17. The Black Ace : End of Act Two

Part 17

**Febuary 20th**

**Cafeteria**

"Blake, I don't know how much more of this we can take. Will you please battle some of the Juniors or Sophmores for us?" A sizeable group of Freshman had crowded around Blake who was seated at his usual lunch table.

"Why, what's going on?" Blake asked. He knew what was going on. The Freshman were getting picked on a lot more often then normal, and it appeared as though they couldn't scare of the Juniors and Sophomores on their own. The best person to help them out at the moment was Blake, who was basically the Freshman representative since he was in the Tsugi Top 10.

"We've tried to get the Juniors and Sophomores to back off, but we can't beat them in a battle. They're all too strong." One of them said, stepping forward to speak for the group. Blake began to cackle, softly at first but it grew to loud laughter before the slapped the table with his hand, creating a loud thud.

"Blake, how many times have we told you to stop doing that?" May shrieked after being startled by Blake. "Just wait to till Drew gets here."

Paul snorted, getting a narrow glance from May.

"What's so funny Paul?" She asked.

"It's just that, we all know Drew can't win in a fight." Paul stated in a deadpan, looking at the brunette who only glared at him.

"Come on guys, Drew can fight! Right?" May asked, getting no reply from her friends.

"No offense, but Drew really can't fight." Jimmy added, scratching the back of his neck with a chuckle.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" May muttered as she dropped her head down onto the table. "Why can't Drew fight Ash, Jimmy or Paul?"

"Because we were gifted with normal hair." Paul replied.

"Excuse me Paul, I'm the only one here with normal hair." Ash pointed out, motioning to the black hair underneath his hat.

"And just so you know Paul, purple hair isn't normal." May added.

"And neither is your hairstyle." Paul fired back, getting a dark glare from May before Paul felt someone flick the back of his head.

"Are you picking on May again Paul?" Drew asked as he went to take a seat beside May.

"Yeah, do you have a problem with it?" Paul asked in return.

"Go ahead." Drew said casually, lifting up the bun to his hamburger to place ketchup on the meat.

"Drew!" May shouted at her boyfriend.

"What?"

"Do something about Paul." May said, pointing at Paul who wore a smirk.

"Oh, right." Drew places his hamburger back on the tray before rising to his feet where he pointed toward Paul who gave him a neutral stare. "Paul, your hair is stupid!"

"Here we go again." Brock muttered, getting a chuckle from Marina and Jimmy who were seated by him.

"And you know what Drew, you're hair is-" Paul began before Ash began to wave his arms frantically, stopping Paul before he could finish. "Yes Ash?"

Ash paused for a moment, swallowing what he had in his mouth before hitting his chest a few times. With a sigh, Brock opened up Ash's water bottle before passing it to him which he happily accepted, chugging half the bottle before he sighed with relief.

"Sorry about that...but I got it this time Paul." Ash said with a small grin as he looked toward Drew.

"Go ahead Ash." Paul said, waving it off as he prepared himself for one of Ash's lame comebacks.

"I think of your hair is envious of Paul's Drew, considering how green it is." Ash proclaimed.

Everyone at or around the table froze for a moment, and then they all look at Drew's hair before they put Ash's joke together. The usually stoic Paul snorted, a crooked smile forming on his face before he laughed. Drew flushed red as everyone erupted with laughter around him.

"Damn it!" Drew shouted, grabbing his hair in frustration as he ran off, leaving the group behind. They all knew he'd come back in a minute or two, it was nothing to worry about.

Despite being seated on the other side of the cafeteria, Dawn Berlitz could clearly see her old table laughing through the sea of students. Focusing on Ash in particular, the bluenette couldn't hold back a smile from developing on her face as she watched Ash laugh with his friends.

"You're looking at Ash aren't you?" Conway asked, causing Dawn to jump.

"Umm, yeah." She replied with a nervous chuckle.

Conway sighed, leaning back a bit so that the light reflected off his glasses to hide his eyes from sight. Narrowing his eyes as he observed the bluenette, Conway tightened his fist once more. 'I already made a deal with Blake, all I have to do with wait now.'

Everyone in the cafeteria found their attention being drawn to Blake who was now standing on top of a table, calling out the Sophomores and Juniors.

"I've decided!" He proclaimed. "I've been seeing all of you giving the Freshman a hard time for the past couple of days, and I'd like you all to know that if you got a problem with us, you take up with me!"

**March 16th**

**Off Campus**

"Blake, you can't keep doing this." Jimmy muttered to his bruised and beaten friend who was seat on top a pair of unconscious Juniors, obviously in pain and drenched in sweat.

"No way, this is too much fun." Blake replied with a smile.

"But you keep pulling me into all of your fights!" Jimmy exclaimed as he extended his hand to help Blake back up to his feet. "Plus, you can barely stand on your own right now. You've been battling way to much this month and you should've been expelled already for the number of fights you've been in."

"Hey, its not my fault everyone wants me to kick their ass for them." Blake replied with a grin as Jimmy pulled him up.

The past month has been very busy for Blake, accepting and winning challenges form Juniors and Sophomores at a ridiculous pace. Blake was quickly advancing up the charts in the Tsugi Academy for the number of battles he had been in as well as the number of wins he was racking up each day. But on the other hand, he had been in numerous fights on a weekly basis whether it was protecting other Freshman or protecting himself, Blake found that all that built damage was finally starting to take its toll on Gallade and his body.

"Don't you think it's about time you started using another Pokemon besides Gallade? It must be exhausted after all these battles." Jimmy asked as Blake dusted off his pants.

"Nah, not yet. I still haven't found the person that's leading the Juniors." Blake replied.

"Leading the Juniors. What do you mean?"

"Well the way the Juniors challenge me to battles is a little to organized in my opinion, from the battling styles to the type advantages. Everything is set up to make sure I have the highest chance of losing." Blake explained as the two of them began heading toward the Junior Dorms. "I feel like someone is giving them direction on how to beat me."

"Do think its Gina. I mean she is the strongest Junior so it has to be her." Jimmy suggested.

"I thought so to, but if it were Gina she could've just challenged me to a battle herself. I'm sure it's someone that's not in the Top 10." Blake replied.

"Do you have any ideas on who it could be?"

"I know for a fact it has to be someone outside of the Top 10, and it has to be a Junior. And they have to be someone that's known by almost every Junior to have so many people willing to listen to them." Blake explained. "Do you know anyone like that?"

"Outside of the Juniors are that are in the Top 10, no."

"Alright, thanks for your help Jimmy." Blake said as they passed by the Sophomore Dorms.

"Blake, where are you going?"

"Junior Dorms."

"Don't get into any trouble."

"I will." Blake replied, giving him a wave. "And tell Marina I said hey."

"Sure thing."

The duo went their separate ways, Jimmy disappearing into the Sophomore Dorms while Blake made his way toward the next building over that was specifically for Juniors. Blake had been snooping around the Junior Dorms for two weeks, searching for the leader of the Juniors, and he believed that he had found an important lead.

Every afternoon right before the sun went down, one of the Juniors in the Top 10 would head to the basement of the Junior Dorms where they held a short conversation with someone that remained a mystery to Blake despite the number of times he had intruded on their discussion.

Entering the Junior Dorms, Blake moved through the corridors, paying no mind to the Juniors that recognized him as a Freshman. Eventually Blake reached a corridor where no rooms were located. It was the area where the electrical room and boiler was located, as well as the doorway to the basement. Blake turned the handle only to discover that it was locked.

"So much for walking in." Blake muttered to himself before looking up at the ceiling where he spotted an opening to the vents above. "Guess I'll have to do this sneaky way."

Calling out Gallade, Blake give his partner the order to open up the vent using Psychic before lifting him into the vent. Blake then returned Gallade to its Poke-ball once he was safely in the vent before moving into the basement.

Seated at a square wooden table in the dimly lit basement was Gina Grays on one side of the table while other person seated on the opposite side remained unseen by the shadow's being cast by the surrounding crates.

"I'm telling you Gina, Blake will crack soon. His Gallade can't continue to battle like that and once it goes down, that when we can knock him out of the Top 10."

"But what about Ash or Paul. Paul isn't stupid Gary, he's suspicious about why the Juniors have been fighting so much with the Freshman." Gina continued. "And Ash is a lot stronger now than he used to be."

"Just remember what I said. We only have to hold or spot until the June. By then it'll be to late for them to change anything about the Ranks to save the Senior Class."

"I know that. But is all of this really necessary?"

"Think about it Gina. You held Rank 1 since your Freshman year. If colleges saw that, they'd be fighting over you to come, and if you keep going like that, your sure to get an early debut."

"I know." She mumbled, looking down.

"Just stick to the plan. The Seniors can't beat you, and we're about to crush Blake. You've got no one to worry about." The mystery person assured her. "Now just leave everything to me."

"Sure thing." Gina replied, rising from her seat.

Her footsteps were the only thing to break the silence as she traveled up the staircase that led to the exit of the basement. Waiting for the door to open and then close, the mystery person began to chuckle once Gina was gone.

"This is all too easy. I'll finally get my revenge against the Slate family."

There was a loud bang from above, getting his attention. Then there was a second one followed by a third. One of the openings to the vents was kicked open, allowing a rather short body to drop out of the vent onto the table where the mystery person was seated. The wooden table snapped under the sudden weight that was dropped onto it while the unseen male jumped backward to escape being harmed.

"Who the hell are you?"

Blake began to cackle as he rose up from the wreckage with a smile.

"I'm sure you know me, but I don't know who you are. I just know I have to battle and beat now since you're the error in my script." Blake said, pointing at the silhouette that was standing in the shadows.

"I'm the error in _your_ script. Well that makes you the nuisance of _my_ plan."

"Then I challenge you to a battle! We'll see just who's the error and the nuisance." Blake challenged.

"Alright then." Blake watched as the silhouette snatched a Poke-ball from what appeared to be a necklace around his neck. "Umbreon, let's go!"

'An Unbreon…' Blake stated with a smirk. "Gallade, let's teach this guys a lesson!"

Unknown two the trainers that were about to battle each other, there was third person that was down in the basement that had been watching the mystery trainer for quite some time as well.

'Blake beat me to it.' Paul said to himself, peeking out from behind a wall of crates to get a small view of the battle.

**Sophomore Dorms**

**Dawn's Room**

"I've had enough of this Dawn. We need you back at the table." May begged, stubbornly hanging onto Dawn's legs as she tried to convince the bluenette to return to her original lunch table.

"I'm sorry May, but not yet." Dawn replied, prying the girl off her legs before taking a seat beside Marina on her bed.

"We know you're still like disappointed in Ash or something, but sooner or later he might he give up on you Dawn if you keep pushing him away like that." Marina cut in in a matter of fact tone.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Dawn asked, looking at her two friends who were staring at her with raised eyebrows.

"Well we can all tell he's really jealous of Conway since you've been hanging around him so much since you got back from Pallet Town." May explained as if it were common knowledge. Everyone at their lunch table, and many of the surrounding lunch tables could see Ash Ketchum staring at Dawn during lunch. It was obvious that he wanted to talk to the girl, but they had seen him get shut down by the girl on numerous occasions.

"Jealous...really?"

"Of course Dawn. Everyone can tell he's jealous, but if you keep this up he might move on." May continued, watching as Dawn began to smile.

"This is perfect. I never thought hanging around Conway would make Ash jealous." Dawn exclaimed.

"While we're on the subject, why are you hanging with Conway?" Marina asked.

"Well at first it was just because I didn't want to talk to Ash after what I did to him in Pallet Town." Dawn said, recalling how guilty she felt after hitting Ash when he was at his lowest point. "But then I found that even though Conway can be really weird sometimes, he's actually a really nice guy. And he's jealous of Ash."

"Wait, why's he jealous of Ash?" Marina and May asked in unison.

"I'm not sure why he's jealous of Ash, but he absolutely hates it if we end up talking about Ash, or when he catches me staring at Ash." Dawn explained, watching as Marina and May moved away from her for a few moments.

Huddling in the corner of the room, the two girls began to speak to each in whispers, leaving Dawn alone on her bed to stare at the two of them.

"I'm sorry Dawn but the decision is unanimous. Conway likes you." Marina declared, May nodding in agreement.

"What? There's no way he likes me." Dawn protested, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Think about it Dawn. He hates it when you talk about Ash or even when you look at him and you said he's jealous of Ash. Why would he be jealous?" May asked, pointing out the facts to Dawn.

"Because he knows Ash has all my attention. And he wants it." Dawn said, putting together everything she had been ignorant to before.

"I just realized something, Dawn could potentially have two guys fighting over her." Marina noted with a grin.

"Whoa, almost like one of those cheesy romance novels." May exclaimed.

"Stop it guys!" Dawn shouted with a pout. "This is serious, I don't know what I should do!"

"This is easy Dawn. Dump Conway and go back to Ash." Marina stated bluntly, getting a deadpan from Dawn.

"But Conway's so nice. I don't want to hurt his feelings, especially since he likes me." Dawn exclaimed.

"Dawn, if you're nice to him, he'll think that you like him back, and in the end you'll only be misleading him. And that will be a lot worse then telling him directly that you don't like him." May explained.

"So what are you going to do Dawn?" Marina asked, waiting to see what Dawn would do.

They sat in silence for a moment before Dawn grabbed her hair, pulling it with a shriek of frustration.

"I don't know! Conway is a really nice guy, he even went through the trouble of making some poffins for Piplup two weeks ago. Sure he can be weird sometimes, but if you get to know him, you'll find out just how sweet he is." Dawn began to ramble. "But at the same time I'm in love with that dorky goofball named Ash Ketchum. He's always smiling and helping anyone improve their relationship with Pokemon. He'd always put one hundred percent of himself into anything so long as he had the satisfaction of knowing he could help someone. But when I saw him in Pallet Town, he was like a hollow shell of his former self, and I couldn't stand seeing him like that. He had lost that light that was always in his eyes, and I wanted to do something to make him comeback, and-"

"Alright Dawn, that's enough. We already figured it out." Dawn was cut off my May who had clapped her hand over her mouth.

"You should stick to Ash, its obvious your in love with him." Marina added. "So the first thing you should do is go to Conway and tell him how you really feel, then you have to go Ash."

"No...after everything I've done I don't think I can just waltz right up to him and say I'm sorry." Dawn said before she was hit in the face with her own pillow by Marina.

"Yes you can! I'm tired of seeing Ash look across the cafeteria at you during lunch and sigh when you breeze past him in the halls. Either you tell him, or I'm going to!" Marina declared.

"No, I mean I want to make it up to him. I want to do something special just for him as an apology." Dawn said after rising up, completely unaffected from Marina's attack.

"Like what?" May asked, watching Dawn look around the room before spotting her contest ribbons hanging on the wall. Dawn snapped her fingers together with a smile.

"I got it. During School Spirit Week, I'll win the Pokemon Contest and become the Contest Queen for the Sophomores." Dawn announced.

"But how is that an apology?"

"You'll find out during the Contest."

**Junior Dorms**

**Basement**

Blake was practically trembling as he rested on his hands and knees as he held back a smile on his face. Gallade's heavily damaged and unconscious form rested beside with an unharmed Umbreon standing a short distance away from them. He had been utterly destroyed by the Umbreon.

Blake could easily say the battle was probably the most intense experience he had ever had. Both Gallade and Umbreon had been moving at speed not even Blake's eyes could keep up with, and despite the amazingly fast pace the battle had moved at, it was one-sided. Every single trick, sneak attack and Gallade's overall power had been expertly countered until it finally collapsed from exhaustion.

'No way, Blake couldn't even land a single attack on that Unbreon.' Paul exclaimed. 'Who is this guy?'

"So are we finished here Freshman?" The silhouette asked mockingly as he and Blake returned their Pokemon to their Poke-balls.

Blake began to chuckle at first, which became full blown laughter as he rose to his feet.

"I'm actually surprised. I've never been beaten like that before. But I won't accept that as a loss since Gallade has over a month's worth of built up damage." Blake replied before pointing at the student in hidden in the shadows. "But I know who you are."

"Oh really, and how did you come to that conclusion?"

"Because you're the only person that appears to be known by everyone in the Top 10 except me. You're the only person who has the trust of nearly everyone in the Junior class, and the biggest reason. You're the only person in this entire school who's in possession of an Umbreon Gary Oak!" Blake proclaimed with a smirk.

'Gary Oak!' Paul exclaimed. Gary was the last person he expected, but as Paul thought about the facts Blake had pointed out, Paul realized that it could only be Gary.

"Heh heh, so you figured me out." Gary said as he stepped out of the shadows with a smirk on his face. "It's not like that's going to change anything."

"Are you sure about that?" Blake asked.

"I'm quite confident." Gary replied calmly.

"Well then how about we have a little game Gary?" Blake asked, causing Gary's smirk to become a smile.

"What do you have in mind?" Gary asked, raising his eyebrows when Blake's smile dropped.

"There will be one winner and one loser. Whoever holds Rank 1 between the two of us by the end of the school will determine the winner." Blake declared.

"And what does the winner get?"

"That will remain a mystery right now. There's still three months before school's over, and that's plenty of time for me to become stronger that you Gary Oak." Blake said, shoving his hands in his pockets as he turned away from Gary.

"That's not going to happen Blake. You won't be able to interfere with my plans." Gary said, his expression becoming hard as he glared at Blake who made his way up the steel staircase that led to the exit of the basement. "You can't interfere with my plans!"

"We'll see about that…"

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17. I'm getting excited now because we're drawing close the final sequence. <strong>**Things will start getting hectic from now until the end, I can assure you all of that. :D The Pearlshipping will finally get underway now that Misty is out of the picture so now you all can sit back and get ready. The next update is sure to come fast because I myself and looking forward to the next chapter. ;)**

**Leave a review, offer any advice or whatever you may have. I'm open to suggestions and I'd really like to know what you guys are thinking when you're reading this. **

**R & R**


	18. School Spirit Week Pt 1

Part 18

**March 22nd**

**Off Campus**

"So what do you guys think?" Dawn asked as she placed Piplup on the ground, looking toward May and Marina who had been watching her performance for the Appeal Round of the upcoming Pokemon Contest.

"It's beautiful Dawn. I had no idea Piplup had become so efficient at using Whirlpool." May said to the bluenette who blushed from the compliment.

"Pip-lup." The small Penguin Pokemon said, hitting its chest with one of its wings, holding its head up proudly.

"We know you like compliments Piplup." Marina said with a giggle at the usual antics of Dawn's first Pokemon.

"So do you guys think Ash will like it?" Dawn asked.

"Dawn, I don't know anyone who couldn't like it." Marina replied.

"Paul, maybe." May added off handily.

"And what did you think about the finale. Do you think that Bubble Beam was good enough or should we-" Dawn was beginning to ramble once again.

"Dawn!" May snapped at her, interrupting the girl. "It's perfect how it is. Just do it the exact same way on the Contest stage and then win the whole thing. Ash is going to love it."

"And then he'll love you." Marina added, making a kissy face at Dawn who turned beet red.

"Marina!" Dawn whined rather childishly, waving her arms.

"Just admit it Dawn, that's exactly what you want." May said with a playful grin, pointing at accusing finger at Dawn.

"No it isn't!" The bluenette protested.

"Picture this Marina, after she wins the entire Contest in that awesome dress we got her last summer, Ash will be all dressed up to. And he'll go up to Dawn and say how beautiful her Appeal was before saying that it can't compare to her own beauty. Then Ash will sweep her off her feet and they'll go running off into the sunset and live happily ever after." May squealed before looking toward Dawn was completely red.

"Wait May, you forgot the part where they kiss in front of everyone. Then they live happily ever after." Marina interjected with a smirk.

"You guys are _so_ not funny!" Dawn shrieked, snatching Piplup from the ground before stomping away from the girls.

"Aww Dawn, you know we're just kidding!" Marina called out to the girl, chasing after her with May.

**March 27th – Morning**

**Sophomore Dorms**

The entire complex of the Tsugi Academy had been transformed during the past week into what appeared to be a large festival where several booths were set up surrounding the Dorms of each of the grade levels that offered different kinds of food that had been made either by the cafeteria workers or by the students that could be trusted in the kitchen. Streamers were hanging from the buildings and multiple stages had been set up all over the complex where different events would take place.

Inside of the buildings had also been decorated, each of them possessing a different theme that had been selected at random for each grade level. But the Sophormores were in for a rude awakening the first morning of the School Spirit Week.

"What the hell happened?" Jimmy asked out loud as he approached a group of Sophomores in the lobby to observe the decorations that they had been working on the for the past work. Most of these should've been hanging from the ceiling of the walls, but instead they were on the floor, flattened and covered with dirty foot prints.

"We worked so hard on this. Who would do something like this?"

"I bet it was those frickin' Freshman. This must be their way of getting back at us."

"Nah, I couldn't be the Freshman. They would be pissed at the Juniors, especially that Freshman in the Top 10."

"What about the Juniors?"

"It was probably them. But why would they do this?"

"Who knows?"

The mummers of the group continued as they inspected the lobby, looking for any kind of clue as to who would do this to all their hard work. Hearing a cackle behind next to him, Jimmy found Blake kneeling down beside, mimicking the exact pose Jimmy held as he searched through the ribbons on the floor.

"Do you have something to do with this Blake?" Jimmy asked, giving Blake a skeptical glance.

"Not this time Jimmy my boy." He replied before rising up. "It was the Juniors."

Blake was speaking rather loudly, and the group of Sophomores had no trouble hearing him, although Jimmy could tell he wanted to be heard by them.

"How do you know?" One of them asked, getting a large smirk from Blake. Whipping out a laptop from seemingly no where, Blake opened up a two hour long video feed that was dated from March 26th. The Sophomores were shocked to see that Blake had a video taken from several different angles of multiple Juniors entering the Sophomore Dorms and tearing apart their decorations before leaving.

"I'll admit, I'm impressed with how quietly they did all of this to make sure none of you light sleepers woke up." Blake remarked after showing them the video he had prepared for them to see which he had put together in the morning to show a collection of scenes where the Juniors were destroying everything they had worked on.

"Awesome, with this much footage we can get them all suspended." One of them noted happily before Blake snorted.

"He~ell no." He said with a laugh. "I'll teach you something better you can do with all of this.

Many of them looked toward him curiously. "Like what?"

"Blackmail!" Blake said before cackling as he requested that all of them give him the ID to their phone so he can send them a copy.

'Crap.' Jimmy said inwardly. Things were sure to get bad if Blake was resorting to blackmail.

**On Campus – Afternoon**

During Spirit Week, everyday of the school for the next week had become a half day following the tradition of the Tsugi Academy, and Spirit Week was easily the wildest time of the year. It was mandatory that you work at one of the booths during Spirit Week at least once during the week. But on the first day of Spirit Week, everyone was excluded from any duties to watch the Appeal Round of the Pokemon Contest which started today.

Each Appeal Round was divided by each grade level, so the Freshman went first and eight were selected continue and so on for the rest of the students participating.

"Hey Dawn!" Ash called out to the female bluenette that continued past him without sparing him so much as a glance. Turning around to watch her walk away, Ash lowered the arm he had raised to wave at the girl with a heavy sigh, wondering if she'd ever start talking to him again.

'I'm sorry Ash, but I can't apologize yet. Not until you see what I practiced for the Appeal Round.' Dawn said to herself. She could tell Ash was watching her go, but she refused to look back.

"You're still trying for Dawn Ash?" Drew asked, approaching the raven haired boy with May who had her arm interlocked with Drew's.

"I had no idea she was this good at playing hard to get." Ash replied with a second sigh.

"You'd be surprised what any girl is capable of Ash." May commented.

"Heh, did you know that while me and May are makin' out she can also-" Drew yelped in pain when a blushing May stomped down on his foot, causing him to bit his tongue. "Damn it!"

"Drew, I told you never to mention that to anyone!" May hissed at him with a threatening glare.

"Chill May." Drew said, raising his hands in defense.

"I'm not going to bother asking what Drew is talking about." Ash said sheepishly, backing away from the duo when May looked toward him.

"You better not." She said to him, getting a small chuckle from Ash before he put his hands in his pockets, turning to begin his trip toward the Junior Dorms. May's expression softened when she noticed where Ash was heading. "Ash, where are you going?"

"To my room, I don't have anything better to do." He replied, turning around to face her as he walked backwards.

"Ash, don't go. There's something special you have to see." May said, getting a confused look from him.

"Like what?"

"Da-" May was about to reveal Dawn's plans for the Appeal Round, but then she remember that she had promised her friend that she wouldn't reveal anything to Ash beforehand. "…The Appeal Round of course. You're sure to see a lot of different moves that you could probably use for a Pokemon battle."

Ash remained silent for a moment, studying the earnest expression May had put on. He could tell she was hiding something, but the prospect of new battle strategies was more than enough to sway his attention away from the secret that was almost let loose.

"Right! To become the strongest we need all the battle options we can get." Ash declared. "Come on Pikachu!"

May and Drew looked around for the small Electric Mouse before hearing a small "Pi" some from above them. Looking above the booth Ash had been previously standing in, the couple spotted Pikachu peering over the edge of the tent that was set up above the booth with a pair of round sunglasses.

"To the Pokemon Contest!" Ash shouted, extending his arm for Pikachu to jump down to before the duo took off for the Contest stage which was at the center of the complex.

Drew chuckled, watching Ash disappear into the sea of students.

"It's good to see him acting like his usual self, right Drew?" May asked, getting a nod from the green haired teen.

"I know. I was really worried about him after he broke up with Misty." Drew said. "For a minute there I really thought Ash might do something irrational, but I guess he came to his senses."

"Irrational, such a big word coming from my baby Drew." May said sweetly, tickling his neck which gained a smirk from Drew.

"Would you expect less May? My extraordinary vocabulary is ever expanding." Drew responded, flipping his bangs which a short chuckle.

"Oh really? Is the word humble anywhere in there?" May asked.

"Of course not." Drew replied a little too quickly.

"Drew!" She shouted, getting a small laugh from Drew.

"Aww May, you know you're the reason I've become the modest man I am today." Drew said with a smile, beginning to walk toward the contest stage. "Come on, doesn't the Appeal Round start soon."

"Modest?" May said out loud, trying to process what Drew had said. "Modest?"

May continued to call out to Drew all the way to contest stage where they found Jimmy waiting in front of the stage by himself.

"Hey Jimmy, where's Marina?" Drew asked, getting the attention of the purple haired boy.

"She's in the Contest too. She's dressing up for the Appeal Round right now." Jimmy replied, motioning the changing rooms that had been built behind the stage.

"Oh right." Drew said with a nod.

"Did you forget that Marina is a Coordinator too?" Jimmy asked, looking at Drew through narrow eyes as his friend did nothing but flip his bangs with a smile.

"Of course." Drew said.

"You're really shameless aren't you Drew." May asked, joining the two boys while getting a snort from Drew.

"Would expect anything less." Drew continued as both May and Jimmy deadpanned, wondering how Drew accepted May's remark as a compliment.

"So Jimmy, did you happen to see Ash pass by?" May asked as the two of them turned away from Drew.

"Yeah, he should be right over…oh, there he is." Jimmy said, pointing out the boy seated on top one the wooden booths with his hands crossed in front his chest, stubbornly refusing to get off despite the other students that were yelling at him.

"Boy, Ash can't do anything like a normal person." May muttered.

"Well what to do expect. If everyone was normal, this place would be really boring." A new voice cut in from behind the two of them. Jimmy remained silent, but May jumped with a squeak before noticing that it was Blake behind her.

"Blake!" She shouted, swinging at the boy who easily evaded her attack with his usual smirk.

"So is Dawn's apology for Ash ready?" Blake asked, getting a dumbfounded look from May.

"How do you know about that?" May exclaimed, clapping her hand over his moth to prevent him from speaking any further. The brunette then proceeded to look around, making sure that no one had heard what he said.

Before Blake could reply, everyone's attention was drawn to the stage where Principal Spruce at taken his place at the center with a microphone in hand.

"Good afternoon students of the Tsugi Academy. I'm glad to see such a large number of you came to see the Appeal Round of the Pokemon Contest. The Coordinators in our school worked very heard on their performance, so with out further delay, let's begin with the Freshman!" Spruce said, motioning to the changing room where about fifteen Freshman came out of the changing rooms.

About thirty percent of the students were Coordinators at the Tsugi Academy, but only a small fraction of them participated in Pokemon Contests simply because they knew they had no chance of beating the current Contest Kings and Queens.

The Freshman performances weren't bad, not even going by the standard of the Tsugi Academy, but the crowd expected better after seeing numerous professional Pokemon Contests in their respective region as well as what they've seen from the Seniors. The Appeal Round for the Freshman ended with the announcement of the eight students that would continue on to the competition round of the Contest.

"Now let's see what the Sophomores have to offer." Spruce continued as the next grade level exited the changing rooms, calmly walking onto the stage. This group was larger than the Freshman, having twenty one in total.

Among the group, Ash had spotted Dawn walked out in her Contest dress, and he was awestruck to say the least. She was dressed in a beautiful sky blue dress that fell straight down to her ankles with a dark blue stash around her waist, tied into a large bow behind her. Around her neck was a necklace of nothing but cobalt blue orbs with a tiara of matching color. Her hair had been neatly combed with two star shaped hair clips holding her bangs back and she wore a pair of white gloves.

"Pika." Pika muttered to Ash, getting an incredulous look form the boy.

"I was not staring." Ash protested with red cheeks.

The Appeal Round continued with the first thirteen people including Marina before Dawn's turn finally came.

"And now we have number fourteen, Dawn Berlitz."

Dawn stood alone on the stage, holding her one Poke-ball for Piplup. Giving it a quick kiss, Dawn gave the Poke-ball a toss high into the air.

"Piplup, spotlight!" She shouted as the Poke-ball opened up, releasing a cloud of bubbles that spread out around the field. "Start off with Ice Beam!"

"Pip-lup!" The small Penguin Pokemon shouted, remaining heading in the bubbles. The entire crowd watched as a cyan beam was fired out from above the stage, popping the bubbles with ease which released small frozen sparkles with each pop which fell down on to the crowd who 'ooh'd' and 'ahh'd' in approval.

After bathing the crowd in sparkles, a Piplup could be seen in the air, descending toward the field. The small Pokemon landed on both feet with its arms raised, a confident aura surrounding it.

'Perfect landing.' Dawn said to herself happily. Everything was running smoothly. "Piplup, let's keep this going. Jump up and use Whirlpool!"

Following Dawn's command, Piplup leaped into the air, raising its arms again allowing a dark blue orb to form above its head which quickly expanded in a large swirling whirlpool that miraculously held the water where it was instead of spilling out onto the crowd.

"Now fire a Bubble Beam straight into the bottom!" Dawn called out. Piplup looked up, putting its beak just below the tip of the Whirlpool where it fired a long Bubble Beam into the swirling water. There was a few moments where it appeared as though nothing was happening, but then the bubbles began to fly out of the top of the Whirlpool one after another one, slowly beginning to take shape.

"Look, its making a shape!" Someone pointed out, seeing the bubbles were slowly taking their positions under the direction of the Whirlpool. The time it took for all the bubbles to take their spot was time the crowd spent arguing with one another about what it is until one clear shape was present to them. "It's a Pikachu!"

The bubbles continued to move as Dawn nervously bit down on her lower lip, hoping that this would run as smoothly as it had during all their practice sessions.

"An Indigo League hat!" A Junior exclaimed, recognizing the symbol on the front of the hat as the rest of the face took shape. Only one student in the entire school was known for wearing that hat, and everyone's questions were answered with the appearance of the two dark marks on the cheeks of the mystery person. "Ash Ketchum!"

"Alright Piplup, fire a soft Ice Beam into the Whirlpool!" Dawn said quickly, seeing that it was time act before the bubbles began to pop.

Piplup ended its Bubble Beam attack and fired an Ice Beam into the Whirlpool, watching the attack circle around the outside of the Whirlpool until it made it to the top, creating a cyan blue outline around the edges of the water. Increasing the speed of the Whirlpool, a blast of icy wind was fired up at Bubble Beam portrait of Ash and Pikachu, giving the bubbles a light freeze while pushing them closer together, making the picture much easier to see.

The crowd applauded as Piplup's Whirlpool disappeared, allowing the Penguin Pokemon to fall down to the stage where it landed on both feet before looking up at the portrait. Their performance wasn't over it. Together Dawn and Piplup pointed toward Ash and Pikachu who were seated on the booth as the bubbles began to pop, sparkles appearing with each pop that shinned brightly in the sunlight.

Ash tried to speak, unable to find any words to describe what Dawn had done. Jumping down from the both with a shout for Pikachu, Ash squeezed his way though the crowd until he made it to the back of the stage while Dawn was being judged.

She had scored a 29.4, the highest score of the day so far. As Dawn retreated to the staircase to get off the stage and head to the changing rooms, she found Ash waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase, his face holding a serious expression. While the crowd's attention had returned to the stage where another performance had begun, Ash and Dawn's eyes were locked on the others.

Extending his arm toward Dawn, Ash waited for her to place her hand in his, which she did tentatively. Ash closed his hand around hers, inviting her to come down the steps slowly so that the two of them were at eye level.

"I really don't know what to say Dawn." Ash began, but Dawn placed her finger against his lips to silence him.

"You don't have to say anything. I want to speak first." She said softly before leading Ash away from the stage, away from the crowd, away from the noise.

After a short walk, the two of them found themselves alone on one of the grassy hills inside the complex, the crowd of students only sounding like a party in the distance. Ash stood up, waiting for Dawn to speak, the bluenette dropped down to her bottom in front of Ash, lowering her head.

"I want to start by apologizing Ash." She began while Ash was a bit surprised at her actions.

"Apologize?"

"Yeah. I want to apologize for hitting you at Professor Oak's lab."

"Actually Dawn, I wanted to thank you for that." Ash said sheepishly with a grin while Dawn looked up at him with a confused expression.

"Thank me?"

"Yeah. I mean if it wasn't for you, I probably would've died from blood loss, and even if some else did find me and save. I'd just be mopping around Pallet Town right now. You helped me see what else I had to live for. It was nice wake-up call, exactly what I needed at the moment." Ash explained with bright eyes, getting a small smile from Dawn. "Plus, it was you that made me get up from the floor and fix all the problems I created for myself."

"I'm glad I helped you Ash, but I still have to apologize for ignoring you, especially when you might have needed me the most." She continued, lowering her head again.

"Dawn, it's okay." Ash assured her, kneeling down in front of her. "You don't need to make a fuss over all this. I just want us to be friends again."

Placing his hand underneath her chin, Ash lifted her face up to look her in the eyes, and he was a bit surprised to find tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Dawn…" Ash began, sounding like he was about to say something meaningful. Using both hands, Ash grabbed her cheeks with his thumb and index fingers, pulling them which gained a small shout from the girl as she pushed him.

"Ash! What are doing?" She asked, holding her now red cheeks.

"Stopping a princess from crying." Ash replied casually as he stood up straight, offering her a hand to help her up. Dawn blushed a bit, accepting his hand once again as he helped her up. "So are we friends again?"

Dawn remained silent, feigning thought for a while which made Ash nervous. Just when he opened his mouth to repeat the question in hope that it would get a reply from Dawn, Ash found the girl wrapping her arms around his torso in a tight hug.

"Of course silly." She said to him, causing Ash to let out a sigh of relief before he returned Dawn's hug.

Watching the due on the hill from a good distance was a pair of two people seated on top one of the booths for Spirit Week.

"I'm sick of listening to you. You promised me that she would have no interest in Ketchum and that she would come to me looking for comfort. She did come to me, but she's still infatuated with that bastard." Conway said sharply to Blake, fixing his glasses once again as he looked toward the Freshman seated beside him.

"Apparently things didn't go exactly how I planned them. But you're on her good side right now, and if you play your cards right she could pick you over Ash." Blake replied with a large smile as he look up at the sky.

"Enough of that. You're plan hasn't done a thing for me since Dawn came to me. I'm going to make her choose me." Conway proclaimed.

"In that case, what if I went along with your plan?" Blake offered, getting a glance from Conway.

"Why should I trust you?"

"You don't need to, but what I can guarantee is that no one will interfere with whatever it is you want." Blake assured him with a small smirk.

"Hmm, that's an interesting offer. But I can tell you're expecting to get something out of this." Conway said, getting a cackle from Blake.

"No. I expect nothing in return, because I won't be losing anything." Blake said, motioning for Conway to whisper the plans to Blake.

As Conway continued, Blake's smile grew larger and larger until he fell backward onto the roof, unable to contain his laughter.

"Why the hell are you laughing?" Conway asked as Blake calmed down.

"You surprised me. I never thought you would be someone to go to such lengths for something like this." Blake noted. "I'll help you out. Follow through with your plans, but we'll change the location to the Sophomore Dorms, and is April 1st go enough for you?"

Conway gave Blake an odd look. He couldn't tell if Blake was trying to set him up for something.

"Why the Sophomore Dorms?"

"Because I can have it completely empty during the time you want to conduct your plan. Wouldn't that be nice?" Blake asked with a crooked smile.

"…Fine. April 1st it is. And you had better hold up your end of the deal." Conway said, giving Blake a narrow glance.

"Sure thing." Blake said, giving Conway as wave as he jumped off the booth, heading toward the crowd of students around the Contest stage. Blake began to laugh to himself, falling back onto the booth again. 'I won't lose anything Conway, but you will lose something you can't live without.'

**March 29th – Late Afternoon**

**On Campus**

"And times up!" Spruce shouted as the time for the finals of the Sophomore Pokemon Contest competition round came to a close. The fierce yet stunning battle between Dawn and Marina had finally ended, coming to down to a point decision. "And the winner is…Dawn Berlitz!"

Dawn screamed before rushing onto the field to scoop up her battered Piplup, crushing it in a hug. Marina had down the same to her Croconaw before the two girls approached each other to embrace in a hug.

"Thank you for the great battle Dawn." Marina said as the separated. "It looks like your throne awaits."

Marina pointed toward Nurse Joy who has stepped up beside Principal with a gold tiara in hand and a red stash around her torso.

"We now present your Sophomore Contest Queen!" Spruce announced as Dawn moved over to Nurse Joy, the newspaper club snapping photographs of Dawn as she accepted the tiara and stash from the older woman. Finally they asked her to strike a pose with Piplup which would be the picture that would be placed in the yearbook.

For Dawn this was probably the best she had felt in a long time.

"Hey Dawn, quit hogging the spotlight, its my time to shine!" Drew called out from the behind the stage as he and May were ready to go on to determine who was the best Coordinator of the Junior class.

The bluenette glanced over her shoulder, spotting Drew and May waiting for her to come down. Both had dressed exceptionally well for the finals, Drew wearing a gray tuxedo with a gray fedora on his head while May was dressed in a lovely burgundy evening gown with a white jacket.

Dawn stuck her tongue out at Drew, blowing as raspberry as one of the cameras flashed. Dawn blinked twice, realizing that someone had caught her on camera like that. Looking around, Dawn found Ash standing at the edge of the stage with a camera in his hands, chuckling as he looked at the picture of Dawn he had just gotten. Rushing over to him, Dawn grabbed Ash with both hands by his neck, begging him to delete the picture or else.

Drew and May were next take part in the Junior finals of the Pokemon Contest. Their battle was just as spectacular as Dawn and Marina's, but in the end, it all came down to May's Blaziken having a type advantage over Drew's Roserade. The battle ended with an extravagant Fire Spin attack that wiped out the rest of Roserade health, ending the battle by a knockout. Drew himself was shocked to be beaten by May a second time. He had won against her in their Freshman year, lost in their Sophomore and now he lost as a Junior as well. He could no longer deny it, his girlfriend had become a very strong Coordinator.

"Great job May!" Dawn said, congratulating the girl as she stepped off the stage with Drew after dawning her tiara and stash. Drew had a crown and stash as well since he had won the Contest King award, but May was the winner of the entire Junior Pokemon Contest

"How do you thinking Brock, Ash, Paul, Jimmy and Blake are doing?" May asked, remembering that Ash had run off during her battle for his next match in the basketball tournament.

**Basketball Courts**

Blake smiled as he slowly dribbled the basketball up court, Ash, Paul, Jimmy and Brock waiting in their positions. Blake was the point guard, the playmaker, a position he found way to fitting for himself.

The guys were waiting for him to initiate the play. All it took was one step from Blake for Ash, Paul and Jimmy to begin moving while Brock remained underneath the basket, trying to push away his guard. Blake went left, his guard moving with his but them he stopped abruptly, passing the ball behind his back to Paul who had come up beside him on his right.

Paul had escaped his guard and had an open shot for a three pointer which he took with no hesitation, but it rimmed out. A rare miss for Paul who was actually an excellent shooter. Brock and his opponent leaped into the air, fighting for the rebound, and once again, Brock prevailed. The senior quickly passed the ball out to Ash who was waiting just outside the arc. As Ash caught the ball, his defender came running at him to block the shot, but Ash faked the shot as his defender flew past him.

From there Ash drove into the arc, heading toward the paint only to have his path cut off by two defenders. Now that he had the attention of both defenders, Ash spotted Blake wide open on the other side of the arc, making a quick bounce pass to him out of the double team. Blake smirked as he found the ball in his hands once again, beginning to read the movements of the team as he retreated to his spot outside the arc. He liked the control of being the point guard, controlling the flow of his team and the game, deciding how they would adapt to handle a situation.

Blake faked right and went left once again, tricking his guard again who couldn't tell his feints from his actual moves. Now that Blake had shook off his defender, he pulled up to take a quick shot from in the arc, but it was way off. Nearly everyone could tell that it was off, but it was off for a reason. Brock spun around his defender before jumping high into the air where he caught the shot that was a lob disguised as a shot. Brock then threw it down through the hoop with gusto, much to the delight of the crowd.

Brock gave Blake a high five after the timer buzzed, signalling the end of the game. The score was thirty two to twelve, total domination for Ash, Brock, Paul, Jimmy and Blake. All of them hounded each other to slap each other on the back, with the exception of Paul who they quickly spotted trying to take some distance from them.

"Get him!" Ash shouted, pointing at Paul as they rushed him. Paul was tackled to the ground where they ruffled his hair and thanked him for his awesome shooting during the game.

"Calm down guys, there's still one last game to go." Blake pointed, ending all of their cheers as the opposing team stepped onto the court. Unlike the past couple of teams they had played, these guys were clearly among the athletically gifted, and this was clearly shaping up to be a tough one. But Blake responded when even more complex plays that were harder to stop as their scoring went up. This team just couldn't contain them, leaving them with the option of playing dirty if they wanted to stay in the game.

Paul received the ball behind the arc as always, pulling up to take another three-pointer, but someone grabbed onto his shirt which successfully ruined his shot. It missed the backboard entirely, landing in the crowd, but Paul was more focused on his opponent who had grabbed him. He gave Paul a smirk, proof that it was intentional.

'Bastard.' Paul said to himself. There was no ref for these games, so these guys would get away with a few fouls. Paul approached Blake, jogging alongside them as they moved back to play defense. "Pass everything to me. I'm going to bury these guys."

Blake smirked as he studied Paul's expression. He was becoming angry, and this was just the kind of spark he'd need to set these guys off for the rest of the game. From that point on, Blake centered their offense around Paul's shooting, taking every measure to get him open for him to drain nearly every shot he put up.

"Nothin' but net!" Ash shouted as Paul hit yet another three pointer. His arm was still raised with his hand in the position as though he had just let go the shot. Paul smirked at the defender who glared at him. He was torching these guys.

Playing defense with Blake was easy. He would guard the other teams point guard and intercept nearly any pass that came his way. Once he had the ball, Blake would take off down the court for a lay up, but this time he found Paul racing up with him, heading straight to the corner for another three. Blake sent him a quick pass which Paul caught before jumping for the shot. But one guy decided that he wasn't going to let Paul hit this shot no matter what, so he went barreling into him which sent both of them tumbling into the crowd.

"What the hell was that?" Ash asked angrily, rushing toward the fallen pair. Ash grabbed Paul's attacker by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up to speak face to face

"What was what?" He asked in return, trying to fake his way out of the unnecessary foul he had committed.

"You know what the hell I'm talking about. You charged right into him. That's a-"

"Ash, forget it. We crushed these guys anyway." Paul said as he rose up to his feet. "There's no need to get into a fight over losers like them."

The game continued, and now Ash, Jimmy and Brock were fired up as well which only increased the lead Paul had given them. Ash and Jimmy flat out dominated their defenders inside the arc with their shot fakes and timely passes to one another. While Brock's dunking didn't last the entire game, he was still able to take on his defender one one one under the basket for easy lay ups. Blake had no need to score, since his teammates were doing such and excellent job.

They had annihilated them with a score of seventy six to twenty three. Even Paul joined in on the congratulatory high fives at the end of the game before they were invited to the contest stage where their picture was take for the yearbooks as the winners of the basketball tournament.

"I love school Spirit Week!" Ash shouted happily, trying to remove the small red bow the guys had put on his hair with tape just before they took the picture for the yearbook. "Don't you agree Dawn-sorry, your highness?"

Dawn giggled. Ash had been doing this ever since she won Contest Queen, and she was quickly getting used to it.

"Of course I do Ash. This is the most fun I've had in while." She replied, watching the boy continue to pull at the bow. "Do you need some help there Ash?"

"Oh…yeah. But a queen shouldn't even think of doing something like helping a mere B-ballin' peasant." Ash replied before Dawn placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him down so that she could take a hold of the bow and give it a quick tug which removed it from Ash's head. Ash quickly kneeled down, holding his head as he bit down on his lip. Dawn had snagged a few strands of his hair with that pull.

"Sorry Ash." She said, realizing she had pulled off more than just the bow.

"It's…okay. I've felt, worse." Ash said, fighting off his urge to shout while speaking.

"Congratulations of winning the basketball tournament this year. I guess this makes up for you guys losing last year right?" Dawn continued, trying to give him something to distract him from the pain.

"Heh, thanks Dawn." Ash said with his usual grin, swiping his thumb against his nose. "And it sure does. Although I wish we could've played against Nando one more time before he graduated. But I guess winning with Brock before he graduated was just as good."

Dawn just watched as Ash continued to talk, a small smile on her face as the sun set behind them. Talking with Ash was something she had been waiting to do for a long time. And she was more than just happy for the two of them to finally be back on a level where they could talk freely with each other.

"Right Dawn?" Ash said, finishing his story with a question for the bluenette who snapped out of her daze. "Were you listening Dawn?"

"Of course!" Dawn replied quickly.

"So what's your answer?" Ash asked, receiving silence from the girl before sighed, admitting that she wasn't listening. "Don't worry Dawn, its no big deal. I just want to know what you were thinking about."

"…I was just thinking about how happy I am now that were friends again." She said with a broad smile, getting a chuckle from Ash as he blushed.

"Yeah, me too Dawn."

Watching the duo from a distance was Conway who hidden in between two booths, his hands closed into tight fists.

'Damn that Ash Ketchum. Why do some many people interfere with Dawn every time I try to get her attention. First was David and now Ash. But this time I don't care who interferes, I will win Dawn Berlitz.' Conway said to himself.

* * *

><p>Blake quietly watched as a two male Sophomore's approached two girls that were Juniors, requesting a date which the girls instantly refused. But then the guys pulled out their phones, opening up the video Blake had sent them which showed the Juniors tearing up the Sophomore Dorms. The guys then told them they'll keep quiet if the girls go on a date with them.<p>

The girls begrudgingly accepted since they didn't want to get caught. Even though they didn't take part, they knew about it, and if they group was caught, then the whole Junior class was sure to suffer from it.

Blake laughed. The Sophomores were using the video against the Juniors perfectly, forcing them to do just about anything for the Sophomores to avoid getting caught. And Blake could tell that the Juniors were becoming restless because of the blackmail. They would surely do something out of proportion to get back at them, and that was when Blake was planning to strike.

'It looks as though its time for my next big move. April 1st…why do they call it April Fools Day?' Blake asked himself, failing to come up with an answer. 'All I know is that a lot of people will feel like a fool when all of this is over.'

* * *

><p><strong>Part 18. A lot didn't happen in this chapter, but was more a set up for what comes next since the next chapter will have a lot of junk going down at once. I can't wait to get started, but sadly I'm going away until the middle of next week so I won't be posting unless I get back early.<strong>

**But in this chapter we do have some people plotting. Blake as usual is cooking up some scheme, but now we have some increasing tensions between the Sophomores and Juniors which is sure to lead to another problem. And now we have Conway continuing to snoop around Dawn, even meeting with Blake to discuss something which is sure to lead to some trouble. Are any of you curious as to what's going to happen next?**

**As for how much longer this story will go on, I don't have an exact estimate, but I can say that starting from here it'll be straight shot to the end so I'm hoping I finish this before the end of summer. That's my goal, let's see if I can follow through with it.**

**Read and Review. And I mean it when I say review. ;) Peace out.**


	19. School Spirit Week Pt 2

Part 19

**March 30th**

**On Campus**

"Alright students, eight people have been picked for the quiz show and they will be broken into four teams of two." Blaine explained to the audience from the stage he stood on where four podiums were waiting for their respective team to take their place. "Please come up to the stage if your name is called."

Everyone became silent. More than fifty percent of the audience had their name in the raffle because of the grand prize if you could win the quiz show. It was choice between extra credit in any class of your choosing, a Pokemon egg or a free trip to Hoenn during summer vacation. Nearly the whole crowd wanted either the extra credit or the cruise, but there was a small group of people that had their eyes set on winning the Pokemon egg.

"Team one will be Dawn and Conway!" Blaine said, hearing a squeal of delight from a certain blue haired beauty in the crowd since she had made it passed the selection process. Conway on the other hand, only smirked before spotting Blake who was standing near the staircase of the stage in a suit.

'I guess Blake isn't as useless as thought.' Conway said to himself before making his way toward the stage.

"Team two will be Ash and Paul."

"Oh damn." Paul muttered, dropping his head when he heard the name of his partner.

"Tough luck Paul, getting Ash." Drew commented as they watched Ash rush up onto the stage with a large smile, giving the crowd a peace sign.

"Team three will be Drew and Brock."

"Brock?" Drew said out loud.

"Wait a second, I didn't sign up for this." Brock said, pointing at himself with a confused expression.

"No matter, just get up here so we can get going." Blaine replied before looking at the next pair on the list. "Nurse Joy and Principal Spruce?"

Blake began to cackle as everyone's attention was directed toward the two adults standing at the back of the crowd.

"But I didn't put my name down for the raffle." Spruce pointed out.

"I didn't either." Joy added.

"Well that doesn't matter, let's see how our students measure up against our staff." Blaine said as the students began to chant the names of Spruce and Joy, encouraging them to take part in the quiz show.

Spruce shrugged. After all, what could he possibly lose by playing a game against his students? The two adults made their way up to the stage, taking their place behind the fourth podium.

"I'll play, but don't be disappointed when you lose." Spruce said, getting a long 'ooh' from the crowd.

"So let's begin." Blaine began before another person jumped up onto the stage with a second mic, cackling.

"Don't forget about your co-host!" Blake said with a devious grin.

"Co-host?" Blaine said, looking over his sheet of questions. After a short search, he found Blake's name at the top of the paper on the backside where the questions had been printed. "Right, you came up with the questions."

"So let's get going!" Blake said, getting a cheer from the crowd before looking toward the contestants.

'What else do you have in store Blake?' Conway asked himself before looking at his blue haired partner. "Which if the prizes did you want if you win Dawn?"

"The Pokemon egg of course." She replied kindly with a smile.

"And if we win, will you be willing to do something for me?"

"Sure thing Conway, but that's if we win."

"So the first theme for the quiz show is a subject all high schoolers just love to talk about. Couples!" Blake began.

Ash, Paul, Drew and Brock all paled considerably before looking at their partner.

"With Brock, hell no!" Drew was first shout followed shortly by Ash with the same phrase. Most of the audience cracked up as Blake continued.

"So let's get started with the first question, take it away Mr. Blaine!" Blake said, motioning to the man waiting to begin his part.

"In her college days, Nurse Joy met someone in the faculty whom she apparently had strong feelings for." Blaine began, completely oblivious to the blushing woman that was standing beside Spruce. "Was it Principal Spruce or Coach Lance? You have sixty seconds to discuss this with your partner."

'Is this even a question, how are we supposed to know this?' Dawn exclaimed, watching Conway who seemed to be in deep thought.

The teams possessing teenagers went over the possiblities, but Spruce and Joy remained silent, refusing to look at each other. Blake cackled out loud. Teasing Spruce was always fun.

"So Team 1, can I get your answer?" Blaine asked.

"We're going with Principal Spruce." Dawn declared, Blaine then looked to Ash and Paul.

"Coach Lance!" Ash shouted confidently.

"Alright, Team 3, can I get your answer?" Blaine asked.

"We don't have an answer." Brock stated, getting a confused look from everyone else. He then slapped both of his hands down on the podium creating a loud smack. "Because she loves me!"

Drew clapped his hand over Brock's mouth, beginning to pull him toward the staircase of the stage.

"Yeah, we forfeit." He said as the threw Brock over the edge before jumping down after him.

"Umm…okay. Team 4, what is your answer?" Blaine asked.

"In fact, Nurse Joy, why don't you tell us the answer?" Blake asked with a cackle. The young woman only sighed with a deep blush before nudging Principal Spruce with her elbow.

"It was me?" He exclaimed, looking at Nurse Joy who only gave him a nod.

"So it looks like Team 1 will be taking an early lead." Blake said, pointing to the monitor behind Conway and Dawn which went from a zero to ten.

"Question number two. If your partner was recently dumped, would you take them on a date to comfort them?" Blaine asked.

"Be honest, because each of these podiums have a lie detector built into them." Blake added.

"No, no! I would never go on a date with Paul!" Ash roared causing most of the audience to sweat drop. It was down right obvious that Paul and Ash wouldn't be caught dead together doing anything besides training or battling.

"Yes, I would." Conway said, giving Dawn a small nod which she returned.

"To be honest, I would if it was Conway." Dawn said after some thought."

"Honesty, good." Blake said, motioning to their monitor which gained another ten points.

Ash and Paul's monitor rose by ten points as well, so everyone's attention was now drawn to Spruce and Joy.

"I'm sorry, but I wouldn't." Joy said, only a hit of nervousness in her voice.

"Yeah, me neither." Spruce joined in, only to look toward Blake who was laughing as he neared their podium.

"Lies!" He shouted, dropping his hand down onto their podium. "Get the hell off this stage and go on a date."

The students began to chant for the two of them as well, but neither Joy nor Spruce moved an inch.

"I'm sorry, but we're not interested in each other." Joy declared, getting a large smirk from Blake.

"That's not what this picture has to say." Blake said, pulling out a small digital camera that possessed a picture of Spruce and Joy that caused both adult's expression to darken. "Now get out of here."

Spruce and Joy did as they were told with a nod, leaving the stage while being showered in applause by the students who were happy for the supposedly 'new' couple.

"And now it appears as though we're down to two teams." Blaine noted as Blake cackled before glancing at Conway who gave him a nod.

"On to the next question."

The questions came and went for a solid twenty minutes before the game finally came to a close with Conway and Dawn managing to take the win using the lead they barely held onto the entire game.

Conway was more then happy to pass the prize of the Pokemon egg onto Dawn who accepted by crushing Conway in a hug before agreeing to meet him at the time he specified for her in a note. As the bluenette left to show off the Pokemon egg she received, Conway smirked as Blake joined him by the stage.

"Are you happy now? Everything is going just the way you want it?" Blake asked.

"I'm very happy. I will remove all her lingering feelings for Ketchum my own way, and then she'll come right into my arms." Conway said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose once again with a smile.

"But if I may ask, why Dawn?" Blake asked rather curiously. "Couldn't you have gone after any other girl?"

"I could've, but Dawn Berlitz has something I can use after we graduate."

"And what would that be?'

"Connections. Connections that could allow me to become a Pokemon Professor."

"So you're just using her?"

"She is quite a beauty. But yes, I plan to use her as best I can."

"Heh, you're funny Conway. You're similar to me in a few ways, but we're different in so many ways." Blake said with a smirk as he gave Conway a wave before turning away to begin his trip toward the Sophomore Dorms. 'That's why I must get rid of you before you become an error in my script like Gary.'

* * *

><p>"That video the Sophomores are using against us is a real pain in the ass." A group of Juniors were going through their daily complaints about the Sophomores since many of them wasted yet another day performing pointless chores for the Sophomores like working their booths during the day.<p>

"Well why don't you guys do something about it?" Blake asked, surprising the group who turned to look at him.

"What can we do that doesn't involve them revealing that video?"

"Well first of all, you have to send them a message, a message that says 'back off, or you will get burned.'" Blake explained. "You all remember when the Sophomores torn up the Freshman Lounge right?'

Blake's eyes darkened everyone in the group gave him a nod.

"I'm begging you guys to get back at them for that. The Freshman can't stand up to the Sophomores, and I can't do this by myself." Blake actually sounded desperate, and the entire group was easily fooled by his plea for help. "Burn down everything they've put together just like they did to us."

"You got it kid, we'll kick their ass in your stead." A tall Juniors said, ruffling Blake's hair since Blake was so much shorter and smaller than him. Blake simply lowered his head, allowing his bangs to cast a shadow over his eyes.

"Thank you." Blake replied. "But I want to help you guys in some way."

"Oh really, how?"

"Wait until April 1st. The Freshman will get the Sophomore's out of their Dorms and we'll keep the teachers away to make sure you guys don't get caught." Blake said. "You guys do your part, and we'll do ours."

"An alliance…this Freshman is pretty cool, right guys?" The tall Junior asked the others who gave him a nod of agreement. "You got a deal."

'Perfect, everything is going according to the script.' Blake said as a smirk formed on his face.

**April 1st**

**Principal's Office**

"So do you know why we were all called here?" The entire faculty had been called into Spruce's office that morning, but Spruce himself wasn't present. All they knew was that there was going to a meeting of great importance.

The door to the room opened revealing the man that had called all of them together. His clothes were rumpled, like he had just gotten dressed.

"Oh, everyone's here already." Spruce said as he closed the door, telling everyone to get comfortable. "So do any of you know what this meeting is about?"

There was an awkward silence.

"Don't you?" Blaine asked, pointing at Spruce who shook his head.

"No, I got a call about ten minutes ago telling me that there was a meeting in my office. I came rushing here because I was told it concerned some students." Spruce explained.

"So you didn't tell all of us to come to your office for a meeting this early in the morning?" Blaine asked for clarification, receiving a nod from Spruce. "Then who called us here?"

"I have no idea, it sounded like Professor Rowan's voice on the phone earlier." Spruce replied.

"I never called you, but I heard your voice when I was called." Rowan said, motioning to Spruce. "And I never called you?"

"Hmm, but I didn't call you either." Spruce mumbled out. "Something strange is going on."

"Just to be sure. There's no meeting?" Maylene asked, raising her hand.

"No, there's no meeting if you guys don't have anything to talk about." Spruce said. "You're all more than welcome to leave now."

The adults were pleased with the fact that there was no meeting, but as Professor Rowan turned the knob to the single exit of the room, he discovered that it was locked.

"Is something wrong with your door Spruce?" Rowan asked, stepping away from it to throw his entire body at the door which failed to open it.

"It's locked?" Spruce asked, reaching into his pocket for his keys only to realize he had rushed out of his room this morning without them. 'Oh crap!'

"Spruce, are you going to unlock the door?" Blaine asked, looking back at the principal who hadn't moved from his desk, frozen in place.

"I…I forgot my keys." Everyone stiffened up.

"No problem, we'll just bust down the door." Maylene said, taking up a karate stance.

"I'm afraid that's impossible. To avoid having students leaving on me when I'm trying to give out discipline, the door becomes magnetized to the frame when its locked to make sure a Pokemon can't break it open." Spruce explained darkly. "Unless someone has a Pokemon possessing strength that's in a five star rating, that door won't go done."

"What if we shut down the power using an Electric type Pokemon?"

"That hasn't worked in the past."

"Then what are we going to do?" Murmurs filled the room.

"Calm down, I'm sure the students will notice that we're not there eventually and come looking for us." Spruce assured them. 'I hope…'

**Outside Sophomore Dorms**

A mob of Sophomores where waiting outside the tall building that had been completely emptied in the morning when a small group of Freshman had charged through the building tearing down what decorations they could before making their exit. Every Sophomore that was in the building gathered out in the front, discovering that a decently sized group of Freshman were waiting for them with their Poke-balls ready.

"We've been waiting a long time for this. But today we're definitely going to get back at you guys!" The Freshman shouted.

"I hope you all know what you're getting into!" The Sophomore's fired back, taking out their Poke-balls.

"Of course we do. We came to settle the score right now!"

Poke-balls went flying into the air, several pops marking the beginning of a battle that would be incredibly large.

* * *

><p>At the back door to the Sophomore Dorms, Blake and a group of Juniors were currently going over the plan one last time.<p>

"So everyone knows what their going to do right?" Blake asked.

"Right!" They replied simultaneously.

"Alright then, let's get moving." He said, removing a small chain of keys from his pocket to unlock the back door of the Sophomore Dorms that always remained locked form outside but could be opened from the inside.

"Where'd you get those?"

"Principal Spruce's room."

Blake allowed them to remain silent until he the door was opened, telling them it was time to begin their mission. The Juniors took off into the Dorms, leaving Blake at the back door where he cackled to himself before finding a large rock to prop open the door. Everything was ready, the actors were in place and starting already, all Blake had to do now was wait for the star to arrive at the seventh floor of the Dorms.

**Roof**

"Whoa, what's going on down there?" Drake asked himself as he peered over the edge of the roof at the massive battle that was taking place outside the Sophomore Dorms.

"It's a battle to prove themselves…the Freshman that is." A new voice said, surprising Drake who turned around swiftly. At the entrance to the roof was Blake in his usual outfit, but resting on the top of his head was a green, yellow and purple jester hat with a small bell on the end of each extension.

"Oh, Blake…so it was you who challenged me." Drake said, receiving a nod in response.

"I would've done so earlier, but I wanted to battle you on a stage to show everyone that the Freshman aren't weak. And I'm going to show you all that I can take down the Top 4 whether you like it or not." Blake declared. "I, Blake, a Freshman of the Tsugi Academy, formally challenge you to an official one on one Pokemon battle."

"Interesting, and I, Drake, a Sophomore of the Tsugi Academy accept your challenge." Drake said, tossing a Poke-ball into the air to release his monstrous pseudo Legendary Pokemon, Dragonite who roared with its appearance. "But I heard your Gallade was out of commission after all those battles in March, how are you going to battle me and win?"

"Easy, with this!" Blake said, removing a Dusk Ball from his pocket which he proceeded to toss into the air, releasing a Pokemon that wasn't as great in size as Drake's Dragonite, but was known for its fearsome strength. The large purple Dragon type Pokemon roared at Dragonite, stretching out its red wings a bit, readying itself for battle. "Meet the Pokemon I had been training specifically to battle you and Cynthia, my Salamence!"

'A Salamence. One of the few Pokemon out there that can be considered equal to Dragonite in strength.' Drake noted, observing the Dragon Pokemon in Blake's possession. It was obviously well trained, and a worthy opponent for Dragonite. 'This is going to be tough.'

**Seventh Floor**

"So what did you invite me here for Conway?" Dawn asked as she sat on a small sofa in the room Conway had told her to come in the note he left her with.

"I just wanted to talk to you." Conway replied as he took a seat next to her.

"About what?"

"Ash Ketchum."

"What about him?" Dawn was starting to feel uncomfortable. Conway had removed his glasses for the first time since she met him, and now she had noticed just how sharp his eyes were. His gaze was piercing, but not in a way Dawn found comforting or mesmerizing.

"Why you like him?" Conway continued. "I want to know how he gained such a strong hold on your heart."

Dawn remained silent for a while, a bit confused now. She couldn't tell what Conway's motives were in discussing Ash, but talking about Ash did put her at ease.

"Ash Ketchum has something you don't find to often." Dawn replied.

"And what would that be?"

"A heart made of gold. He's pure."

"So you're telling me that you've never met another guy like that?"

"I never have." Dawn responded, shaking her head with her statement.

'Hmm, I guess there's a lot I still need to hear from her before I can proceed.' Conway said to himself. "Tell me what else you see in him."

"I see a boy with a dream, and a one track mind. I see someone who doesn't give up, who never stops trying until they succeed. He a great person that sticks up for what he believes in, and someone who's loyal to any friendship he's apart of."

"I see…so if I had all of these qualities, would you be interested in me and not Ketchum?" Conway asked, looking away from Dawn toward a closet on the other side of the room.

"I'm sorry Conway, but I still wouldn't be interested." She replied nervously.

"Is it my appearance then?"

"No Conway, I just have eyes for Ash Ketchum." Dawn replied, looking away from Conway.

"Alright, I understand." He said softly before grabbing her face with one hand form beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him. Conway looked extremely angry, and his sharp stare frightened Dawn. "What is it you see in Ash Ketchum that no other man can have?"

Dawn was now sure that she should leave, but as she tried to push Conway away with one hand, he grabbed her wrist and pinned her down onto the sofa, holding down her next arm as well.

"I don't know what he possesses to make you love him, but if you won't come to me because of your love for Ash Ketchum, then I'll make you despise his very existence!" Conway spat at her angrily before a new voice entered the room.

It was a golden furred Pokemon holding a small string with a silver circle tied to the end of it.

"Excellent timing Hypno, now use Hypnosis on her." Conway ordered the Psychic type Pokemon who quickly moved over to the two of them on the sofa. Its eyes became a dark blue as it swung its pendulum in front of Dawn's face, firing a small circular pulse at the bluenette. "Thank you Hypno."

Conway motioned for the Pokemon to step back as he looked down at Dawn who had stopped struggling, her eyes becoming a dark blue that matched Hypno's.

"You no longer have any desire to be with Ash Ketchum. You hate him. You despise him. You loathe his qualities and abhor his appearance." Conway continued to speak to Dawn until she finally spoke back, agreeing with every statement he said.

* * *

><p>Ash Ketchum was quickly moving through the seventh floor of the Sophomore Dorms, following the letter he had received this morning. All it said was seventh floor, Sophomore Dorms, Dawn. It matched Dawn's hand writing, and Ash was more than curious to see what the girl wanted to take to him about, if only he could figure out which room she was in.<p>

"Do you have any ideas Pikachu?" Ash asked, looking toward his partner who was on his shoulder'

"Chuuu." It replied, shaking its head.

"Hmm, oh, can you try and listen for her since this place is so quiet?"

Pikachu gave Ash a nod to his question before it raised both ears up vertically, listening for any kind of movement. It took a little while, but Pikachu did find a room where some noise was coming from compared to the other empty ones.

"Pika!" It said, jumping off of Ash's shoulder to take off in a sprint, leading Ash down three hallways before stopping in front of a regular Dorm room. "Pika-pi!"

"This, thanks buddy." Ash said as he grabbed the doorknob, turning it to access the room. "Dawn, are you in here-"

Ash froze at what he saw next. Dawn and Conway were on the sofa with Conway on top of her, pinning her down to make sure she couldn't get away he stripped her of her shirt. A Hypno continued to use Hypnosis on her which was probably the reason she wasn't fighting back. But in truth, the only thing that registered in Ash's brain was Conway on top of Dawn.

Was he forcing himself on Dawn?

**Sophomore Lounge**

"Hey, the fire's getting way out of control!"

"Magmar, stop!"

"Houndoom, you too!"

"Guys, let's get out of here. We don't have any Water Pokemon to stop the flames!"

Everything was going perfectly for the team of Juniors that had gone into the Sophomore Dorms. They had slipped through the entire building and closed every window and door to deny access to the building except for the back entrance before moving to the lounge. But now they were forced to flee the building after setting the room ablaze when the flames could no longer be controlled without Water type Pokemon.

The flames would surely eat away at the entire building soon unless they did something. But as they made their escape, the last guy tripped over the stone Blake had used to hold open the door, moving it from its vital position which allowed the door to shut with a loud slam.

"Oh crap, we can't get inside!" One of them shouted. "How are we going to stop the fire?!"

* * *

><p><strong>Part 19. Vacation's over and I'm back. Now we have a ton of junk going down all at the same time. We got Conway trying to hypnotize Dawn but Ash walks in on them. Blake challenges Drake on the roof of what's going to be a burning building pretty soon, and now the Freshman and Sophomores are having one colossal battle that's unsupervised. What could go wrong? ;) So what did you think?<strong>

** R & R! :D**


	20. April 1st : This is no Joke

Part 20

Outside of the Sophomore Dorms was probably the biggest battle that had ever taken place with in the Tsugi Complex. A mob of Freshman and Sophomores were holding what appeared to be a battle royal. Pokemon varying in sizes and body shapers were packed together in a large group, simply beating away at each while their trainers called out attacks from a safe distance.

"This has Blake written all over." Paul muttered as he, Brock and Jimmy observed the battles.

"Do you think we should be worried?" Brock asked.

"Obviously." Jimmy replied. "It looks like all hell is going to break loose any minute now."

Jimmy had left the Sophomore Dorms earlier in the morning after receiving a text from Blake telling him to leave along with Marina. Just as Jimmy finished speaking, orange flames flew out from the roof in all directions followed closely by several blast of purple energy, a sign that a battle was taking place there as well.

"That's a Dragon Pulse attack." Paul said, identifying the attack with his usual stoicism. "It must be a Dragonite."

"Someone must be battling Drake and his Dragonite." Brock concluded, getting a nod of agreement from Paul.

"Well we knew who that must be." Jimmy muttered.

* * *

><p>"Salamence, don't stop, press them back with Flame Thrower!" Blake ordered, watching as his partner tried to over power Drake's Dragonite who was currently spewing purple energy from its mouth to counter the flames.<p>

The two Dragon Pokemon were completely even in power, something that had honestly surprised Drake. Among the Top 4, the only one that could compete with the power of his Dragonite was Cynthia's Garchomp. Seeing someone show up out of the blue with a Pokemon that was on par with his own had left him unnerved.

"Dragonite, forget defense! Let's take him down with our unstoppable offense! Dragon Rush!" Drake shouted. He was done testing the strength of his opponent, he would make his victory swift.

Dragonite roared, a blue aura erupting around it before it took off in a straight dash toward Salamence. Blake was honestly impressed with how Dragonite pierced through the flames, unaffected by the heat as it charged toward its target.

"Salamence, get up in the air!" Blake shouted, ordering his Dragon type partner to take flight and escape Dragonite's powerful attack. Flapping its wings twice, Salamence rose up into the air, just in time to avoid the Dragon Rush. "Now get with Dragon Claw!"

As Dragonite came to a stop, realizing it had missed, it found Salamence swooping down at it from behind. All of the airborne Dragon Pokemon's claws were coated in purple flames which it swiped at Dragonite with, down its back which gained a screech of pain from it before it knocked Salamence away with its tail. Drake grit his teeth, becoming frustrated with Blake as he stared at the smirking Freshman. Now he was getting annoyed.

"Dragonite, get it back with Dragon Claw!" Drake called out. Dragonite leaped up into the air, pursuing Salamence as its claws extended, gaining a purple aura. This was beginning of a close range exchange between the two Dragon types, neither of them managing to land a decisive hit on the other to take the advantage.

The Pokemon separated from each other, taking some distance from each other to check and see if any damage had been done. Dragonite was a bit shaken from the exchange, trying to keep up with the slight speed advantage Salamence had over it.

'We have to even the playing field since Salamence is faster than Dragonite.' Drake said to himself. "Dragonite, use Extreme Speed and Dragon Claw!"

The battle became one-sided as Dragonite began to fly circles around Salamence, tearing apart the Dragon Pokemon with its fast attacks before ending its heavy assault with a harsh tail slam to the top of Salamence's head. Blake's Dragon type partner fell to the roof with a heavy thud, its body covered with some deep scratches from Dragonite's relentless onslaught.

"Salamence, are you okay?" Blake called out to his fallen partner.

"Raa." It replied, rolling back onto its feet.

"Good, then let's counter its speed with strategy!" Blake shouted, running over to his partner. Climbing on its back, Blake order Salamence to take flight once more with him on its back before looking down at Drake with a smirk. "You wouldn't try to harm a Pokemon if you could potentially kill the trainer, would you?"

Drake grit his teeth as he look up at the cackling Blake. He knew the match could be terminated if Blake was harmed during the battle by Dragonite. But if Blake was willing to go to such an extreme, they Drake decided that he would too.

"Dragonite, come down here!" Drake commanded, motioning for his partner to come down to the roof. Blake raised his eyebrows as Drake took his place on the back of his Pokemon before joining Blake in the air.

"So you really are serious about beating me?" Blake asked curiously, getting a confident nod from his opponent.

"Of course, someone like you would only screw over the Ranking system even more." Drake fired back, getting a laugh from Blake.

"That's exactly what I'm here to do." Blake replied which received a confused look from Drake.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but right now you have no chance of beating me. The sky is our domain when it comes to battles! Dragonite is a master of the aerial battles, even when I'm on its back!" Drake declared. "I hope you know what you're in for!"

"Of course I do. I wouldn't challenge you to an aerial battle if I didn't." Blake responded with his usual smirk. "Salamence, attack with Flame Thrower!"

"Dragonite, keep back those fire attacks with Dragon Pulse!"

**Sophomore Dorms**

**Seventh Floor**

"Conway, what the hell are you doing?" Ash asked sternly, his temper raising to a boiling point as he tried to wait for answer. "I said, what the hell are you doing?!"

Ash was shouting now, but Conway only smirked as he stared at Ash. Now he could finally get back at Ash for keeping Dawn's attention for so long. Conway chuckled before pushing his glasses back to the top of his nose.

"Well now, I was just showing my girlfriend how much affection I have for here." Conway replied as he straightened up, motioning toward Dawn.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted threateningly, pointing toward Hypno, directing Ash's attention toward the Psychic type Pokemon. Taking note of Hypno's blue eyes, Ash started to put the puzzle together as to why Dawn was allowing Conway to do something like this.

"Why?" Ash asked, returning his gaze to Conway.

"Why what?" Conway asked in return.

"Why are you using Hypnosis on Dawn?" Ash hissed, closing his hands into tight fists. Now Conway became angry as he lifted his hand to point at Ash.

"Because of you!" He shouted. "She mindlessly follows you, blindly waiting for the day where you would return the feelings she has for you!"

Ash was taken aback now. What feelings did Dawn have for him?

"All I'm doing is directing her wasted affection toward someone who will actually use it!" Conway yelled as looked down at the bluenette, motioning for her to sit up. Once she did, Conway placed his hand underneath her chin to tilt her had upward before pressing his lips onto hers. Ash's eyes became wide as Dawn didn't even try to resist. Then he remembered that she was under Hypnosis.

"Gah!" Conway yelled out in pain as he took a solid hit to his jaw from Ash which sent him over the top of the couch. Ash only glared at Conway as he hit the floor.

"What kind of sicko are you?" Ash asked with venom before feeling a sharp sting hit the right side of his face which forced him take to steps to his side to maintain his balance. It was slap, and a hard one at that.

Looking toward the only person that could've done that, Ash found Dawn standing up, her arm still extended from the slap she had delivered to Ash's cheek. Her face wrinkled in disgust as she stared at him.

"Dawn?" Ash asked, a bit surprised that she had hit him so suddenly.

"What are you doing here Ketchum?" She hissed at him. "We've been over this a bunch of times already, I'm never going to go on a date with you! In fact, you can consider our friendship terminated, now get out of here!"

She had started to scream, and Ash was a bit torn up. He had to keep in mind that she was under Hypnosis, but the fact that these words were still coming out of Dawn's mouth did hit him.

"But Dawn…" Ash began, but Conway rose up from the floor.

"It's no use Ketchum. She's mine now." Conway stated with a smirk. Ash grinded his teeth together, directing another glare at the glasses wearing freak before he spotted Hypno out of the corner of his eye. It appeared as though Hypno still hadn't placed Dawn under a full Hypnosis.

"Pikachu, get Hypno with-" Ash had begun to speak, planning to give Pikachu an order to attack Hypno, but he was hit on the nose by a Poke-ball which knocked him over, ending his command.

The familiar pop of a Poke-ball opening sounded in front of Ash before he felt the presence of a large Pokemon in front of him. Opening his eyes enough to get a good look at the Pokemon in front him, Ash found a Slowking towering over him.

"If you really think I'm going to let you break the Hypnosis before Hypno can make the effects permanent, think again." Conway said confidently as he walked around the couch. "In fact, Hypno should be finished in about a minute. All I have to do is keep you busy."

"Pikachu! Thunder Bolt on Hypno!" Ash shouted. He was more than pissed off now. Who in their right mind would think of doing something like this? And to one of Ash Ketchum's closest friend.

"Slowking, protect Hypno with Light Screen!" Conway cut in quickly.

Pikachu's massive Thunder Bolt attack was meant for a one hit KO was aimed at Hypno bust just before it a hit a reflective wall of light formed in its path, deflecting the attack off to the side of the room. Ash groaned in frustration. To get to Hypno, he would have to take out Slowking and there was no time to waste.

"I was hoping to train with you a bit more, but I need your help." Ash said to himself as he removed a second Poke-ball from his pocket. Pressing the center button to expand the Poke-ball to its actual size, Ash gave it toss in to the air, releasing the Pokemon he had taken from PalletTown.

"Mr Mime." It said happily, unaware of the situation it was entering.

"Mr Mime, stay focused." Ash said to the Pokemon. The Psychic type Pokemon belonging to Ash became serious, sensing the anger that was radiating from its trainer.

"So you have a second Pokemon. That still won't change anything." Conway said. "Slowking, use Shadow Ball on Mr Mime!"

Slowking gave a nod before putting its hands together, charging up a sphere of dark energy which it proceed to fire at Ash's second addition of the battle.

"Mr Mime, use Light Screen to block out!" Ash shouted, getting an affirmative nod from Mr Mime. "Then use Mimic!"

"Mime…mime!" It shouted, forming a wall of light in between itself and the Shadow Ball attack which exploded on contact with the wall, creating a thick black smoke.

"Pikachu, follow through with Volt Tackle!" Ash shouted. Conway couldn't see anything through the cloud, but he could guess that Ash had been targeting Hypno.

"Slowking, set up a Reflect to block Hypno!" Conway yelled quickly. The Hypnosis was almost completely. There was now way he was going to allow Ash to push back his plans any further.

Unfortunately, Pikachu's target wasn't Hypno, but Slowking. The small Electric Mouse burst of the cloud of smoke with a yellow halo surrounding it, charging straight for the Water/Psychic type Pokemon. Slowking's eyes came wide as it saw Pikachu charging racing toward it. With no time to even prepare for the attack, Slowking took the hit straight to its stomach which sent it tumbling backward.

"Mr Mime, use Shadow Ball on Hypno!" Ash shouted now, catching Conway off guard now. As the smoke cleared, Mr Mime burst appeared with a dark ball in hand which it hurled at Hypno, but a wall of light formed in its path, blocking the attack on Hypno once again.

"Did you think you were going to save the day Ash?" Conway asked with a chuckle, observing Ash's expression with the failed Shadow Ball attack. It was clear that he had forgotten that once a Light Screen is set up, it lasts several turns.

"Of course I did! Mr Mime's, use Brick Break!" Ash shouted, getting a gasp from Conway. Mr Mime smiled as it closed its large hands into fists which it proceed to smash both the Reflect and Light Screen with, shattering the walls as if they were made of glass. "Now finish it with Shadow Ball!"

"Hypno, look out!" Conway shouted, but Mr Mime's attack went in which sent the yellow Psychic type Pokemon flying into to the wall of the room.

"Alright!" Ash shouted, pleased that it appeared as though everything had worked out, but when he looked toward Dawn, he found that her eyes were still blue. She was still under the Hypnosis.

"Excellent Ash, I wouldn't expect anything left from someone in the Top 10, but I'm afraid Hypno has completed the Hypnosis." Conway stated with a wide smirk as he returned both of his defeated Pokemon to their Poke-balls. "How unfortunate, but I guess Dawn will finally be with someone that she can truly love. Someone who will return her love!"

Conway's speech was put to an end when he took a solid hit to his nose from Ash which sent him to the floor with a thud.

"Real love doesn't require Hypnosis." Ash muttered darkly.

Pikachu and Mr Mime were frozen as they stared at their trainer who had just knocked out Conway with that one hit. The amount of malice rolling off of Ash was something neither of the Pokemon had seen before.

Ash looked down at the fist he had just hit Conway with. There was blood on it, and Conway's nose looked pretty deformed from the hit, but Ash had-had enough of his talking. Enough this battle. Dawn was now his number one priority, and Conway was truly becoming someone that would make it to top of Ash's incredibly small hate list.

"Conway!" Dawn shrieked before noticing that Ash was walking toward her. "Quit looking at me like that Ketchum. And stay away from me!"

Dawn shrieked as Ash went low, grabbing her by both her legs before hoisting her up into the air with her torso over his shoulder.

"Put me down you sick pervert!" She shouted at him, pounding his back with both her small hands. Ash remained immune to Dawn's attempts to escape his clutches while Ash's anger cooled, enough for him to realize how hot the room had become since he entered it.

"Pika!" Pikachu called out, sniffing the air.

'Hmm?' Ash took a good whiff of the air too, catching a strong scent in the air. 'Smoke?'

Ash rushed over to the door, trying to keep a hold on the squirming Dawn, but when he opened the door, he was greeted with a blazing, uncontrolled fire.

"What's going on?" Ash asked out loud, confused as to where this fire had come from. "Mr Mime, I need you to use Psychic to make a path for us to move through."

As Mr Mime parted the flames, Ash froze up. Conway was still in the room, and it appeared as though the entire building was up in flames. He couldn't just leave him there…could he?

Ash gulped as he tried thought about the situation. Why not? There was absolutely no reason for Ash to help him. In fact, Ash had every right to just leave Conway right there on the floor after his actions against Dawn. But could he do that and not feel guilty later on? There was a human life in the room that he can save and no matter how sick, how cruel, how devious that person might be, Ash couldn't let them die like that.

Returning to the room, Ash rushed over the Conway who he threw onto his other shoulder without releasing his hold on Dawn before following Pikachu and Mr Mime into the flaming hallways. Thanks to Mr Mime, he could move through the flames with ease because the Psychic type Pokemon was creating a field of energy to cancel out of the flames as they moved.

All he had to do now was make it out of the building before anything else happened.

**Roof**

Salamence and Dragonite collided with a loud thud before the two of them broke apart with a heavy grunt. They physical damage taken by the two Pokemon since the start of the aerial duel was astonishing. But between the two trainers, Drake was easily the one who was under more stress.

He had never met anyone was just as good in the skies as himself and Dragonite. The battle was becoming quite a heartache for Drake since Blake had fallen off of Salamence's back multiple times, although he wanted to believe that Blake was throwing himself off on purpose. Still, it was tough to watch someone plummet toward the death several times over the course of the past few minutes.

"Hey Drake, I thought you said you were a master of the skies?" Blake called out tauntingly, swing his jester hat a bit to make the bells jingle. "Why haven't you beaten me yet?"

Drake grit his teeth, glaring at Blake who only cackled when he made eye contact with him.

"Are you frustrated, or are you jealous of my hat?" Blake asked as if he were talking to a small child. "Well I made on specifically for you."

Blake pulled out a large, poorly made white cone with the word 'Dunce' in bright red coming down the cone vertically. When Drake got a good look at the cap, he gave Blake a dark glare as the Freshman burst into a fit of laughter before tossing the dunce cap at Drake.

"I've had enough of this, Dragonite, let's end with Dragon Claw!" Drake shouted, pointing toward Salamence. It wouldn't be long before this battle was over.

"Salamence, do you remember what I was explaining to you last night?" Blake asked in a whisper to the Dragon Pokemon he was resting on top of, receiving a nod from it. "Good, because we're going to do it right now."

Salamence didn't even get a chance to give Blake a nod before the boy leap off its back toward their approaching attackers. Drake's eyes widened as Blake came hurtling toward him, putting his shoulder out in front to tackle him. He only had the time to put his arms up in front his face to block Blake's attack before the two of them were knocked off of Dragonite.

Dragonite came to an immediate halt, searching for Drake and Blake. Following Salamence who had begun to move the moment Blake jumped off of it, Dragonite could see that it was swooping down towards two free falling bodies.

Drake couldn't even comprehend what Blake had done. They were battling high over the roof of the dorms, and he sent both of them falling to their doom, yet he was laughing. Staring into Blake's eyes, Drake found no light despite the laughter coming from the boy, it was like he didn't care about his life or safety.

A large silhouette dropped down beside Blake which he reached out for, latching onto the neck of his Salamence before it pulled away, leaving Drake to continue his fall toward the roof. As Blake and his Salamence pulled away, Drake spotted Dragonite coming straight toward him at its fastest speed. In a split second the Dragon Pokemon was beside him, scooping up Drake with both its arms.

"Dragon Claw!" The shout came from Blake, followed by Dragonite roaring in pain. Drake saw Blake and Salamence quickly pull away from on top of Dragonite after striking its left wing which cut off Dragonite's ability of flight.

Drake and Dragonite began to descend rapidly, their speed increasing as Dragonite tried to direct them toward the roof of the dorms with its one remaining wing. Unfortunately, Dragonite missed by a few feet, hitting the side of the building with its side, protecting Drake with its entire body before it began to follow toward the ground. It was a multi story drop, and it was obvious that Blake wasn't going to help them.

Drake was incredibly pissed off at Blake. He would've never expected the boy to actually jump off his Salamence while they were at least a hundred feet in the air, but it appeared to be part of a plan after they landed that easy attack on Dragonite which sent it hurtling toward the ground. Dragonite rolled in the air, putting Drake on its stomach while preparing its back for the rough landing.

If things couldn't get any worse, Drake cursed mentally when he felt someone grab onto the back of his jacket collar while the large front foot of a Salamence stomped down onto Dragonite's head. Drake was forcefully torn away from his partner who was sent flying to the ground from Salamence's finishing attack, Blake holding onto him by the collar of his jacket.

"Dragonite!" Drake shouted to his partner who crashed into the ground.

"Heh, looks like this one was my win." Blake stated with a cackle, completely ignoring the enraged glare he was getting from Drake.

**Roof**

Ash burst though the door that led out onto the roof of the Sophomore Dorms, collapsing to the ground since he could no longer support himself with the weight of both Dawn and Conway on him.

Dawn jumped up to her feet, beginning to move away from Ash again, but a large hand suddenly closed up around her ankle, holding her in place.

"Let go of me you perv!" She shouted at Ash, kicking his torso with her remaining foot, but Ash was quick to give her leg a tug, which put Dawn down on her bottom.

Ash couldn't take this anymore. Dawn had done nothing but insult him as they traveled down to the front door of the building only to find that it had been chained shut. Coming back up to the roof was even worse since she had tried to break away from him on numerous occasions, but Ash kept his resolve firm, saying he would come up with a way to break the Hypnosis.

Now on the roof, Ash had pinned her down, using on his body weight to keep her down as he tried to form a solution to break the Hypnosis.

"Man, I can't think of anything." Ash grumbled to himself, unaware of Mr Mime who was now standing beside him.

"Mime." The Humanshape Pokemon said, getting his attention while pointing to Dawn. "Mr Mime!"

'That's right, Mr Mime might be able to do something.' Ash said to himself. "Can you break the Hypnosis Mr Mime?"

"Mime mime!" It said with a happy nod before placing both its hands over Dawn's forehead which gained a rude remark from the girl. Its eyes became cyan color as did its hands, silencing Dawn who became still.

Noticing that Dawn had stopped struggling, Ash moved off the bluenette, deciding to take this time to rest up and think of a way to get off this building. At least with Dawn finally being quiet things should get a little bit easier. After a few moments, Mr Mime chimed in, telling Ash it was finished before pointing to Dawn's sleeping form.

"You broke the Hypnosis?!" Ash exclaimed happily as his Psychic type Pokemon gave him a nod. He quickly gave Mr Mime a high five. "Awesome!"

"Pika!" Pikachu joined in, giving Mr Mime a thumbs up.

"Good." Ash removed the shirt he was wearing, revealing the white tank top he had on underneath before putting it on Dawn to replace the shirt Conway had torn off of her. "Perfect. Now let's get out of here guys. Mr Mime, we need your help again."

Ash rose to his feet, looking down at Dawn, observing her innocent face as she silently slept. All they had to do now was get off the roof, and Mr Mime would be able to handle that problem as well.

"Pi…" Pikachu said, feeling a rather dark presence rise up behind the group.

"Rah!" There was shouted before Ash was suddenly hit by an enraged Conway who was attempting to push over to the edge of the roof.

"What the…" Ash began before planting his feet to hold his ground against Conway. He was successful in stopping Conway from moving him for that moment, but the green haired boy was quick to smash his fist into Ash's stomach. Ash gave out a pained gasp as he hunch over before Conway continued to push him backward to the end of the roof.

"If I can't have her, then I won't let you have her either!" He shouted as he tackled Ash with all the strength he could muster which sent both of them over the edge.

"Pika!"

"Mr Mime!"

The two Pokemon rushed over to the edge where they saw Ash and Conway headed straight for the ground, Conway refusing to let go of Ash's torso as he tried to roll in the air to make sure Ash was the one to hit the ground first.

"Mr Mime!" Ash roared, loud enough for his Pokemon to hear from his current location. The Barrier Pokemon extended both its arms, its hands gaining a blue outline which was then transferred to Ash, forcing his decent to come to an immediate stop which surprised Conway. The sudden stop caused his grip on Ash to slip, leaving him to continue his fall to the ground while Ash was lifted back up to the roof.

Conway hit the ground with a deafening thud, Ash looking away moments before to make sure he didn't see the end result. Was this what Conway deserved for his actions? In the back of his mind, Ash wanted to say yes, he was tempted to shout it, but all he could do was give a loud gulp as Mr Mime brought him back up to the roof.

"Hey, do you guys need a lift?" A voice called out, getting Ash's attention. Rising up along side him was Blake on the back of a damaged Salamence, waving to him.

"…Yeah." Ash said as Salamence came under him. Mr Mime released its hold on Ash, allowing him to fall onto Salamence's back before the Dragon Pokemon ascended to the top of the dorms.

"I saw what happened Ash." Blake said suddenly, getting a cringe from the raven haired boy since he was trying to free his mind of replays of Conway's final moments. The green haired boy looked so desperate as he attacked Ash. "Don't worry about checking up on Conway, I'll handle it."

Ash gave Blake a skeptical glance before sighing. Last thing he wanted to do now was look at Conway's lifeless form.

"Thanks." Was all Ash said in reply as he hopped off of Salamence once they were on the roof to collect the sleeping Dawn. Once everyone was on Salamence, Blake ordered it to take them to the far hill that was behind the Sophomore Dorms, planning to leave Ash their to give him sometime to think while they waited for Dawn to wake up.

After dropping off the group at the hill, Blake returned to the front of the Sophomore Dorms where the largest battle was taking place. Obviously things weren't going in favor of the Freshman, but it was time for Blake to end all these battles now the Sophomore Dorms were about to go down. Just like he planned.

In just a few minutes, the structural supports of the building would disappear because of the fire inside, and once it was gone, the building would collapse. In what direction it would, Blake had no idea, he was pretty much testing his luck with the twenty-five percent chance it could fall onto the students battling in the front.

"Alright Salamence, let's head over to the right side of the building." Blake called out to his Dragon type Pokemon, pointing toward the east side of the building where Conway had fallen.

Giving him a nod, Salamence quickly swooped down as it turned around the building, coming to a quick landing a few feet away from Conway's crash site.

"Thanks Salamence." Blake said, rubbing its head before jumping off its back to go examine Conway who was resting on the ground, unresponsive and completely still.

Blake began to cackle as he looked at Conway's lifeless body, a thin trail of blood coming out from behind his head. The fall had not only shattered the boy's glasses, but it killed him too. Blake took a moment to remove Conway's glasses to shut his eyes. He then scooped up Conway's body from the ground, motioning for Salamence to follow him with a small gesture from his head alone.

**Off Campus**

Blake stood alone, staring at the fire he had just asked Salamence to create, a silhouette resting the flames, slowly turning to ash.

"I must say, I was impressed with your twisted methods to get Dawn, an extreme that not even I would've gone to." Blake commented, not really expecting a reply from the person within the flames. "But I need her to restore Ash's strength as trainer. You were becoming an interference that I couldn't ignore anymore. You would've become another error in my script."

Blake heard a loud crash come from inside the complex, which could only mean that the Sophomore Dorms had finally fallen. Glancing out at the complex, Blake could see that it had fallen to the west, where no one was located. Good…the events Blake had planned for today had gone perfectly.

* * *

><p><strong>Bam! Chapter 20! The explosive April 1st battles continue with a dark twist as the Sophomore Dorms collapse.<br>**

**So what did you think? Did I surprise you with anything? What about the action?**

**I took a while with this update and I'm sorry about that, and I'm also sorry to say that there won't be any updates for a while. My internet is getting cut so I won't be able to post for a while. I don't know when it'll come back up, but I won't stop writing so the moment its back, I should have an update for you guys.**


	21. Dark Times Ahead

**Part 21**

A soft breeze rolled over the Tsugi Complex, being heard by the silent students as they stared at the debris that was once the sophomore dorms only a few minutes before. Everyone present at the front of the building could only stare in shock, trying to process what had just taken place. Who was responsible for all of this?

Many angry glances fell upon the freshman from the sophomores. There was one conclusion that the sophomores came to with great haste. The freshman had set this whole thing up just to destroy their dorms.

"Get them!" One of the sophomores growled, pointing toward the the lower grade level.

The battle royal between the two grade levels became nothing more than a one-sided onslaught on the freshman Pokemon that were brutally ganged upon.

* * *

><p>"Hey, this battle is getting pretty dangerous for the Pokemon." Brock noted as he motioned for Jimmy and Paul to follow him to the battle.<p>

"This isn't a battle anymore Brock. The freshman are getting slaughtered." Paul replied as he took out the Poke-ball in his pocket. It appeared as though no one was hurt from the building collapsing. But the way the sophomores were battling, someone was bound to receive an injury. "Come on guys, let's cut the battle right down the middle."

"Right!" Jimmy and Brock said together, calling out their Pokemon along with Paul.

Typhlosion, Weavile and Croagunk leaped over the crowd of students to have an airborne view of the actual battle, searching for the spot they would be aiming for.

"Typhlosion, use Flame Thrower!"

"Weavile, Ice Beam!"

"Croagunk, use Sludge Bomb!"

The three attacks passed through the center of the battle, halting everyone as the three Pokemon landed in the space that had been created. Each of them glanced at the Pokemon on either side of them, hoping that this would put an end to all the fighting.

"That's enough you guys." Jimmy called out as he, Paul and Brock moved to the center of the field in between the students and their Pokemon. Each of them took the spot beside their respective Pokemon.

Despite being one of the younger sophomores, Jimmy was still well respected by all of them for his battling ability that was far superior to theirs. And he was also one of the three sophomore representatives in the Top 10, although he was weakest of the three, but the sophomores still looked up to him.

"Jimmy, they just wrecked our dorms!" The shout came from the crowd of sophomores.

"I know…I can see that. But battling on campus in non-official matches will only make it worse for you guys." Jimmy explained even though they all should know the rules and penalties that would come from battling in a non official match.

"I could care less, all my stuff was in my room and now it's gone!" Someone else called out, this causing an uproar among the sophomores.

"I know you guys lost a lot of stuff when the dorms went down, but trying to hurt other people that may not have anything to do with this isn't going to make this any better." Jimmy went on, finding that he Brock and Paul were being pressured toward the freshman by the sophomores. This was becoming much harder than what Jimmy had planned on.

"Come on guys, let's settle this once and for all!"

Orders for their Pokemon to attack were sent out by the sophomores, their Pokemon beginning to take action while the freshman showed no signs of backing down, even though most of their Pokemon were severely damaged already.

"Salamence, Flame Thower!" A voice called out from above. Before everyone could look up, a wall of flames formed in between the two grade levels, the source being a semi large Dragon Pokemon hovering above the field. "Freshman, retreat!"

The shout was from Blake, and to the freshman, his word was absolute.

"You heard the boss, this move!" One of the freshman yelled, calling back their Pokemon.

'Boss…?' Paul said mentally as he and his Weavile began to move with the freshman.

The retreat was successful, and the freshman got away with Blake cackling out loud as he thought about how fulfilling his day was.

* * *

><p>Ash sat beside Dawn's unconscious body, Pikachu resting on his lap with Mr Mime seated beside himself. He had managed to save Dawn, but Conway was killed in the process.<p>

In Ash's eyes, Conway was probably the lowest person he had ever met. Resorting to hypnotism to redirect someone's affection was just wrong. And using a Pokemon to this really aggravated Ash. But Conway's death did scare him. It all happened too fast for Ash to fully grasp the situation, but he was positive that Conway had died from that fall. No one could survive a twelve story fall.

But Conway was still a human, and his life had been cut short. Even though it was Conway's fault for sending both of them over the edge of the roof, was it right to just let him fall? There was possibility of Mr Mime managing to save him using Psychic.

Ash sighed loudly, scratching Pikachu behind its right ear, trying to entertain himself with Pikachu to remove the thoughts of Conway. Hearing a yawn, Ash noticed Dawn stretching a bit beside him.

"You're up." Ash said quietly, looking at the bluenette who spent a few moments rubbing her eyes before she took note of her location.

"What happened?"

'Can she remember?' Ash asked himself before glancing at Mr Mime. "Umm, nothing special really…"

"Hey, where's Conway?" Dawn continued. Ash's features hardened before he looked away from Dawn, leaving the girl to give him a curious gaze. "Ash?"

The dark haired male teen remained quiet, refusing to speak. In truth, his throat had locked up, and he didn't trust his voice anymore.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Dawn asked before she heard a rather loud sniffle from Ash.

Mr Mime and Pikachu looked toward their trainer with great interest. They could feel the grief Ash was experiencing and they wanted to comfort their trainer, but Dawn beat them to it. Wrapping her arms around Ash's neck from behind, Dawn placed her chin on his shoulder, trying to see his face.

With the view she had, she could only see half of his face, but there were tears streaming down his cheek with his teeth visible grinding against each other. She could feel his entire body trembling, and after seeing Ash like this once before, she knew that allowing him to remain like this any longer wasn't good for him.

"Remember that you don't have to face everything by yourself." She whispered directly into his ear. "We're all human, and its natural for us to rely on others. So please Ash, calm down."

Dawn's plea fell onto open ears, ears that were waiting for someone to speak up. Ash seemed to relax, falling backward which caught Dawn off guard, but she managed to hold herself up along with Ash weight. Shifting her body around, Dawn allowed Ash to place his head on her lap where she laid a comforting hand against his cheek, allowing Ash let loose the feelings had been trying to restrain.

**Tsugi Academy**

"I suppose its time we got things rolling." Gary muttered to himself as he and Gina quietly walked through the empty hallways of the Tsugi Academy. Their destination was the Spruce's office, and for Gary, this would be his chance to deliver the first blow in his battle between himself and Blake.

Once the teachers found out about what had taken place, they would surely punish both the freshman and sophomores, which would give Gary the freedom he had been waiting for now that his identity was no secret. Cracking open the door, Gary peered into the office where he found the entire faculty sprawled out on the floor, unkempt and bored. All their heads snapped up when the door was open before they rushed out of the office, thanking Gary and Gina for freeing them.

"Hey, there's something going on in front of the sophomore dorms that I think you guys should know about." Gary said rather casually, getting confused looks from each of the teachers.

"What's wrong?" Spruce spoke up.

"Well, it's something you have to see to believe." Gary replied with a shrug before motioning for the teachers to get on the move.

* * *

><p>Dawn was speechless as she stared down at Ash. He had just finished explaining what had taken place not even an hour ago, and she was incredibly scared now. Never in a million years would she have thought that Conway would be the type of person to go as far as to hypnotize her with a Pokemon. What really scared her though, was what Conway could have done with her.<p>

From what Ash had told her, she under Conway's spell. She was obedient only to Conway, and it seemed as though Conway would've done just about anything with her body. He had only gotten as far as kissing thanks to Ash, but after having this explained to her, Dawn was rattled.

Ash was still resting comfortably on Dawn's lap. He had calmed down a while ago, but then he popped a question Dawn had never expected him to ask.

_"Umm Dawn…can we stay like this for a while?" He asked tentatively, looking up at the girl out of the corner of his eye. Dawn blushed profusely before giving him a slow nod, which gained a small smile from Ash. He felt more than comfortable like this. He felt safe._

Looking out toward the previous location of the sophomore dorms, Dawn could only wonder what had happened in there during the blank in her memory. She could only remember up to enter the room Conway had invited her into. Beyond that it was all a blur until she woke up on the grassy hill beside Ash. But that still left her wondering just how safe she was while she was so far away from home.

* * *

><p>The faculty of the Tsugi Academy could only stare at the remainder of the sophomore dorms in total shock. Littered all over the area were the students that had previously been living in this dorms trying to salvage whatever they could from the wreckage.<p>

"What happened here?!" Spruce shouted, stepping up toward debris to get everyone's attention.

**Tsugi Academy**

**Auditorium**

Next to the cafeteria, this was largest room of the building, capable of seating every student present for important announcements, such as the event that had taken place earlier this morning. Spruce had ordered every student present in the Tsugi Complex to come straight to the Auditorium for him to straight out this mess.

All of the sophomores had given him the same story. The freshman got everyone to come out of the building before they were locked out. Then the building was thoroughly burned from the inside out and then it collapsed. But from what he could tell, that didn't explain who set the building on fire.

"Alright, quiet down." Spruce spoke into the microphone that was connected to the podium, silencing the students that had gathered. "Now I'm sure most of you know about the event that has taken place today, but just to review what happened, there was a large confrontation in front of the sophomore dorms. During this confrontation, the sophomore dorms were set on fire and were burned to the ground."

"I can't believe I missed that."

"It was crazy, not to mention that battle in front of the dorms was out of control."

The whispers among the crowd of students shot around for a good thirty seconds before Spruce shut them up a second time.

"As I was saying. The cause of the fire has been undetermined, but if anyone knows anything about this fire, please don't hesitate to inform me." Spruce began, deciding that a subtle threat might motivate some of the students to talk. "Or else I'll be forced to put every freshman and sophomore on probation until the end of the school year."

The room became deathly silent. Next to expulsion, probation was the worst punishment you could receive at the Tsugi Academy. While under probation, you were forced to wear a bracelet that recorded your location, discussions. You couldn't do a thing while you were under probation, and it was ultimate threat Spruce had in his arsenal.

No one stepped forward. The freshman and sophomore could defend themselves. The seniors and most of the juniors had nothing to do with this, save for the group who had unintentionally started the fire. But that small group of students had received strict orders from Blake to keep quiet before they had initiated the plan earlier today.

Blake was near the back of the room, his hands closed in tight fists because someone had interfered with his plan. The time he had to set up a story to explain how the sophomore dorms had been reduced greatly by an unknown factor. Blake could assume that it had to be Gary, but without a story in place to cover up the fire in the building, he would have to accept this punishment and change up how he would go about his future plans.

"Alright then, I don't enjoy giving this punishment to any of my students, but I have to place all freshman and sophomores on probation." Spruce concluded.

* * *

><p>Spruce's announcement only increased the tension between the grade levels. There was a firm division between the freshman and the sophomores who refused to be near each other. The juniors and seniors kept their distance from the underclassmen, deciding that its best to avoid stepping into the line of fire.<p>

All of the sophomores that had lost their room were assigned to a room either in the junior or senior dorms.

**April 2****nd **** - Night**

**Junior Dorms**

"This isn't fair." Marina muttered as she and Dawn quietly walked through the hallways of the junior dorms, searching for the room the two of them had agreed to share. "Plus, two hundred dollars isn't enough for me to replace the wardrobe I lost."

Marina recalled the small sum of money she had received from Nurse Joy with a apology from the woman. She wished Marina luck in replacing some of her belongings that had been lost, but this money wouldn't be able to do that.

"Hey Dawn, are you okay?" Marina asked, snapping Dawn out of her daze.

"Hmm?" She replied, unaware of the one sided discussion that had been taking place.

"Jeez Dawn, you could at least put in some effort to listen to me." Marina mumbled, expecting Dawn to reply in her usual bubbly manner, but all she received was a sigh from the girl. "Is everything okay Dawn?"

"Umm…I don't really know." She replied, looking down at her feet. "I just need some time to think about some stuff."

Marina raised her eyebrows as she looked at Dawn before noticing the door they were approaching. Number 306. That was their room, which was conveniently located next to a pair of the third floor bathrooms.

While Marina came to a stop in front of the door, Dawn continued on which only increased Marina's curiosity about her friend.

"Dawn, our room is right here." Marina called out to her friend.

"I'm just going to the bathroom." Dawn replied as she continued down the hall before entering the bathroom which caused Marina to deadpan.

After a few moments Dawn was tossed out of the bathroom by one tall male junior.

"This is the guy's bathroom if you couldn't read the sign." He said before closing the door once again, leaving Dawn to sigh as she rose up from the floor again to enter the girls bathroom.

'Okay, something is definitely up.' Marina noted as Dawn disappeared into the correct bathroom this time.

**April 3****rd**** – Night**

**Pokemon Center**

"Mom, is that you?" Dawn asked, looking at the blue haired woman who was seated on the video screen.

"Yes Dawn, it's me." Johanna replied, giving her daughter a concerned look. "What's the matter sweetie?"

"I…I want to come home mom." Dawn said quietly, waiting to see the response from her mother. For a few moments, there wasn't one before Johanna sighed.

"Can I ask why?" Johanna asked. Dawn shook her head in reply.

"When I get home I'll tell you." She responded.

"I'm sorry Dawn, but I can't let you come home unless you give me reason." Johanna said, watching her daughter begin to chew on her bottom look for a few moments, questioning whether she should share what she had experienced or not.

Johanna raised eyebrows as Dawn looked at someone off screen, calling out to them.

"Umm, Nurse Joy…can you leave the room for a few minutes?" Dawn asked the pink haired woman who looked at her skeptically.

"Why?" She asked in return.

"I have something very personal to tell my mom." The bluenette replied. Nurse Joy mulled over the question for a few moments before giving Dawn a nod.

It was rare students made her leave the room, but when it came to family affairs, confidentiality was something she had to abide to. Rising from her desk, Nurse Joy made her way out of the room, leaving Dawn alone with her mother.

"So what happened?" Johanna asked once Dawn returned her gaze to the screen.

"Two days ago…" Dawn began, drawing a short breath as she tried to stay calm. "This guy I knew invited me to a dorm room to chat."

Johanna's expression hardened as she looked at her blue haired daughter. What could possibly make Dawn think she could go into a room by herself with someone of the opposite gender?

"We had been friends for a while, and he was a really nice guy. But then he started asking me if I would ever be interested in him." Dawn continued, her voice growing softer. "When I told him I had no interest in him, he became really angry. And he held me down on the sofa, and hypnotized me using a Hypno."

Johanna blinked once, then twice, allowing what Dawn had said to register in her mind.

"While I was hypnotized, I was completely at his mercy. I couldn't stop him from doing anything to my body." Dawn hiccupped as she looked down, no longer able to maintain eye contact with her mother who couldn't speak.

The only sound that could be heard in Nurse Joy's office as well as Johanna's house in Sinnoh was Dawn's quiet sobs. It took a few moments, time which Johanna found herself taking shallow breaths and trying to control her trembling hands. But eventually Johanna finally realized must have taken place.

"D…Dawn, did he…?" Johanna began, uncertain of whether or not she wanted to know the answer to this question. "…do anything you haven't told me about?"

Dawn's head snapped up as she looked at her mother.

"No!" She practically shouted. "Ash saved me. I don't know what he was going to do, but Ash stopped him."

Johanna felt a wave of relief wash over her as she practically fell over. Her legs had gone limp with that moment of relaxation, but she managed to lean onto the counter in time to catch herself.

"And what about that boy?" Johanna went on.

"No one has seen him since that day. But I'm scared mom. I want to come home." Dawn was pleading with her mother now, and Johanna could only wish that she could be by Dawn's side at the moment to comfort her, but her daughter was on the other side of the globe.

"Don't worry sweetie, I make and few calls and bring you home." Johanna said in soothing tone.

Outside the room, Blake had his hands in his pockets, leaning against the lockers as he listened on Dawn's conversation. With a shrug he straightened up, beginning to head down the hall.

'Boy, this doesn't leave me with a lot of time. Everything is taking place much faster than I wanted it to.' Blake muttered to himself before a crooked smile broke out on his face. "But then again if I improvise this could become a lot more interesting."

**Junior Lounge**

The usually packed room was surprisingly empty since curfew was approaching, only containing three our four juniors that were chatting aimlessly in the corner of the room. The one exception to the group was a blonde haired junior who was quietly reading a small journal, comfortably seated on one of the sofas.

"Whatcha reading Cynthia?" A voice asked, causing the blonde to jump before she found Fiona behind her.

"Oh, just this book I found on one of the benches outside." She replied as Fiona took a seat beside her.

"What's it about?"

"It's actually a report on Legendary Pokemon. It has all kinds of details about the habitats and life styles of Suicune, Raikou and Entei. And some amazing artwork too." Cynthia explained, flipping to one of the pages that had a sketch of Suicune perched on rock, looking out at the lake in front of it.

"Wow, that really is amazing." Fiona said, taking the book to get a better look for herself.

"I think it was written by a Professor with how much information it has, like all of the recent sightings for these Pokemon, their habits and all kinds of stuff that would make it pretty easy to find them." Cynthia went on.

"That's really cool."

"So what are you doing here Fiona?" Cynthia asked, looking toward her friend who shrugged.

"I was looking for Blake to challenge them to a battle." Fiona responded, getting an understanding nod from Cynthia.

After Fiona was taken out of the Top 10 by Ash, she had taken on a gruesome training regime with her Feraligatr for the past month and a half. Now that she had completed her training, Fiona claimed Rank 10 in the Top 10 but now she was specifically gunning for Blake.

"Wait, why would he be in here?"

"Well you never really know where he's going to show up sometimes." Fiona muttered before rising from her seat. She took a moment to straighten her jacket before giving Fiona a wave. "I gotta continue my search, I'll see you around Cynthia."

"Alright, see you later!" Cynthia gave Fiona a nod as she left. Once her dark haired friend left the lounge, Cynthia returned her gaze to her book.

"Whoa, where'd you find this book?" Someone exclaimed from behind Cynthia, once again causing the blonde to jump. Turning around, Cynthia found a Blake behind her a large smile, trying to read what was written in the log.

To Cynthia's knowledge, Blake was the number one threat to her Rank, not to mention he was responsible for the huge mess during the Winter Dance. She held nothing against him, but after seeing Blake take Rank after Rank over the past few months, Cynthia no longer felt comfortable around him. Although, at this very moment in time, he appeared to be genuine. But that still wasn't enough to convince Cynthia that he wasn't here with other motives.

"It's log about Legendary Pokemon." She replied, narrowing her eyes as Blake jumped over the sofa, taking a seat beside her.

"Cool, let me see." Blake said, snatching the journal from her to get a look himself.

Cynthia leered at the boy beside her as he became engrossed in the book, flipping the pages.

"Wow, just look at these pictures of Suicune, Raikou and Entei!" Blake called out purposely, getting the attention of the group of four juniors that were chatting on the other side of the room. The mention of Legendary Pokemon got their attention, causing them to flock over to the Cynthia and Blake to find out what they were looking at.

"No way, you have a book on Legendary Pokemon."

"Awesome, I always wanted to see an Entei!"

Cynthia found herself surrounded by her classmates who were beginning to fight over the book. Blake smirked to himself now that Cynthia was distracted, deciding that it was time to make his move. Slipping his hand into the crowd, Blake began his search for the belt around Cynthia's waist that held her single Poke-ball.

Cynthia perked up with a blush when she felt a hand brush against her bottom.

'Oh, damn.' Blake muttered, realizing he had missed the Poke-ball by a long shot. Fortunately for him, Cynthia couldn't seem to figure out who had just touched her. Raising his hand a bit, Blake found the Poke-ball which he quickly detached from her belt.

Cynthia, no longer felt her Poke-ball pressing against her hip, began to look around to see if someone had taken it from her. Her eyes quickly rested on Blake when he rose up from the sofa, beginning to walk from the group with his usual smirk. Then he glanced on his shoulder to take a peek at Cynthia where he stuck his tongue out at her before lifting up his hand to show Cynthia the Poke-ball that held her Garchomp.

Blake took off in a dash, deciding that it was time he took as big a lead as possible.

The blonde haired junior stood up abruptly, bursting out of the group to pursue Blake.

"Hey Cynthia, don't you want your book!?" They called out, but it was clear to them that that wasn't her focus right now.

* * *

><p>Cynthia's pursuit of Blake led her outside of the junior dorms where the boy was quietly waiting for her, seated on one of the benches. His Salamence was out of its Poke-ball, resting beside the bench with crossed eyes, trying to stare at the spherical object Blake had placed on its nose.<p>

"Return my Garchomp!" She shouted at him. Blake only stared at her out stretched hand for a moment before cackling.

"You'll have to take it from Salamence if you want your Garchomp back." Blake replied, motioning to the Poke-ball that was on Salamence's nose. It was clear to Cynthia that it was putting forth a great effort to keep it balanced on its nose.

Cynthia only huffed before moving over to Salamence, reaching out to snatch her Poke-ball back. As her hand neared the sphere, Salamence gave off a low threatening growl. Cynthia withdrew her hand nervously, making eye contact with the dragon who was giving her a dark glare. Despite being in possession of a large dragon type Pokemon, Cynthia's Garchomp had never been overly aggressive, so she was stepping into unfamiliar territory as Blake's Salamence appeared to be incredibly protective of her Poke-ball.

Tentatively reaching out once again, Salamence began to growl once more, but Cynthia didn't back down. Once Salamence realized she wasn't going to stop this time, it threw its head back with a roar which successfully frightened Cynthia while the Poke-ball that had been on its nose began to roll down Salamence's body. Blake smirked as Cynthia jumped back, rising from the bench since it was time to get Cynthia to accept a battle with him.

"Toss it here Salamence." Blake said as he walked toward the Pokemon. The Poke-ball had stopped on Salamence's back, and with a quick whip of its tail, the red and white ball was sent flying toward Blake. Catching the ball with ease, Blake jumped on Salamence's back before pointing at Cynthia. "Now get her!"

Cynthia felt a chill run down her spine as Blake and Salamence both wore a devilish smirk before the Dragon Pokemon turned around, swinging its tail at her. The blonde could only raise her arms in an attempt to defend herself, but instead of the feeling a scaly tail slam into her torso, she found it wrapping around her.

"Let's go!" Blake shouted as Salamence's tail tightened up around Cynthia. Salamence spread its wings before taking off into the air, beginning to ascend. As they rose into the air, Cynthia made the mistake of looking down once they passed the roof of the junior dorms which only increased the amount of terror she was experiencing.

"What the heck are you doing!?" She shrieked at Blake who looked down her.

"So Cynthia, I can tell you want to get back down on the ground, right?" Blake asked, getting an obvious yes from the girl. "Well then accept a battle with me."

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm Rank 4. You're next on my list. But I know you won't accept a challenge." Blake explained. "So I'm going to force you to."

"Why should I battle you?" She asked in return, getting one raised eyebrow from Blake.

"Because if you don't accept, Salamence's tail could...slip." Blake replied with a smile as he stared at the awestruck expression Cynthia gained.

"Are you crazy?!" She screamed before her eyes widened when Blake lifted up Salamence's Poke-ball.

"Only a little." Blake replied. "I, Blake, a freshman of the Tsugi Academy formally challenge you to a one on one Pokemon battle."

Blake waited for Cynthia to answer the request.

Cynthia remained silent, staring down at how far she would have to fall if Blake wasn't bluffing. Her job was to hold Rank 3 as long as possible under Gary's orders, and that meant refusing every battle that came her way. But Blake was clearly doing his best to make her break that commitment she had made to Gary and Gina.

"I, Blake, a freshman of the Tsugi Academy formally challenge you to a one on one Pokemon battle." Blake repeated for her.

Cynthia's heart skipped a beat when she felt Salamence's tail loosen around her slightly which resulted in her clinging onto the Pokemon's tail even though it hadn't released her.

"Are you trying to kill me!?" She asked, looking up at Blake who's expression became neutral with her question.

"While I would prefer not to but…" Blake seemed trail off for a moment before he gave Cynthia a narrow glance, making eye contact with her. "You're getting in my way."

He had hissed the second part of his sentence, and coupled with his gaze, Cynthia now concluded that Blake was a very scary person.

"I, Cynthia, a junior of the Tsugi Academy accept your challenge." Cynthia said, trying to control the quiver in her voice as Blake's expression brightened up considerably. He now wore a bright smile as he looked on her, thanking the girl for her cooperation.

"Salamence, take us off the campus!" Blake shouted, pointing toward the east end of the Tsugi Complex where a tall wall was standing to keep the students inside once night arrived.

The guards that were stationed at the gates, glanced upward when the heard the flap of Salamence's wings, but the large Pokemon blended into the nighttime sky nicely, allowing them to pass by undetected. Once they were well beyond the border of the complex, Blake passed Garchomp's Poke-ball to Cynthia before ordering Salamence to release her while they were high over the forest.

Cynthia looked up in horror as Salamence and Blake became smaller and smaller in her vision as she fell toward the ground.

"Garchomp!" She shouted, throwing the Poke-ball down ahead of her, releasing her Pokemon from its containment unit. The large purple Pokemon took form below Cynthia, creating something for Cynthia to land on while Garchomp itself had to take a few moments to realize it was falling.

With a quick grunt Garchomp extended its hands to catch a wind current with its fins to slow it's decent. The large purple land shark landed with a heavy stomp, followed by Salamence who landed quietly, observing its latest opponent.

"Are you ready to get owned?" Blake asked, receiving no reply from Cynthia now that her adrenaline was pumping.

**Junior Dorms**

**Basement**

In the darkness of the silent a room, one light source could be seen in the shape of a small rectangle. The light was cast upon a brunette who was looking at the video feed he was getting through his laptop. He could see Blake and Cynthia in a battle far beyond the border of the school complex.

"I see...Blake isn't wasting any time at all now." Gary said to himself with a smirk. "I guess its time I made my move too."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21! Now we have a lot of developments going on, from having almost half of the student body being placed on probation to Blake challenging Cynthia. Not to mention Dawn is thinking about leaving the Tsugi Academy after the dark experience that took place on April 1st.<strong>

**I must must apologize because this update took so long, but now that my internet has returned, I can begin updating freely again. Yay! **

**And I'd also like to mention that we're heading toward the end of this story. There's still a good number of updates ( I won't give you guys a number ) but I'm slowly revising each of the older chapters because to be honest, I think I've improved quite a bit since I first started writing this story. So far I've revised chapter one and two, and the revisions will continue in between updates.**

**Anyway, thanks for all the support guys. Drop a review for me and tell me how I'm doing with this!**


	22. Unexpected Moves

Part 22

The attention of the guards of at the east gate of the Tsugi Complex was drawn to the forest beyond the border. It wasn't really the trees or a stray Stantler, it was a large twister of orange and purple flames that easily allowed them to conclude that a battle between Pokemon was taking place.

Based on what they knew about the Pokemon native to Tsugi Island, the guards could tell that this wasn't just a simply dispute between two Pokemon. This had to be a battle between two students that were using their well trained Pokemon.

"Come on, we have to go check this out!" They shouted, pointing toward the outskirts of the compound while the gatekeeper quickly released the electronic locks.

* * *

><p>Cynthia and Garchomp stood amongst the flames, staring at Blake and Salamence. Their battle had been beyond Cynthia's wildest expectations. Not only was Blake a scary person, but the way he battle was scary as well. He was more than willing to take a hit if it meant landing a deadlier one, and his Salamence aimed for the weakest area of Garchomp's thick skin.<p>

Garchomp hadn't taken a heavy beating all over its body, but the bruises it did have were incredibly dark, and she was sure that it was constantly hurting Garchomp. Salamence's bruises were wide spread, but it was bearing through the pain, while Garchomp appeared to be on its last leg.

"Garchomp, let's finish this with Dragon Rush!" Cynthia shouted, pointing toward Salamence. The chances of her winning now were slim. She would have to bet on knocking out Salamence with a super powerful, all out attack. Garchomp gained a light blur around its body before it charged toward Salamence, using all of its remaining strength for this one attack.

"Salamence, get into the air and then prepare a Dragon Claw!" Blake shouted as his Pokemon spread its wings, taking off into the air.

Garchomp came to a sudden halt when it directly below Salamence before leaping into the air with all its strength. Its goal was to take out of the airborne Dragon Pokemon from below and hopefully end the battle with the same attack.

"I thought you might do this!" Blake said with a smirk. "Cut it down Salamence!"

Salamence roared before the claws of its forward feet became coated in purple flames which it proceeded to lash out at the approaching Garchomp with. Garchomp hit Salamence's Dragon Claw attack, trying to break through the six claw attack, but their clash proved to be even as the attacks grinded against each other. Unfortunately, Garchomp's stamina was first to run which caused its Dragon Rush to fade away, leaving it open for Salamence's finishing attack.

Swiping down at Garchomp with both its feet, Salamence left six separate gashes on Garchomp's torso before it finished it off with a swift tail slam which sent Garchomp to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Garchomp!" Cynthia shouted, rushing over to her Pokemon. As she inspected the damage done to her Pokemon, she found that both its eyes were replaced with black swirls. This battle was over, and Blake had beaten her. Blake only whistled as he stared at Salamence, surprised that it had taken even more damage than it had during their battle with Drake the day before.

"Good work Salamence, you earned this rest." Blake said as he returned Salamence to its Dusk Ball before glancing at Cynthia who had already returned her Garchomp to the safety of its Poke-ball.

"There are flames over here too!" A deep voice shouted.

"Wartortle, Poliwrath this way!" Another voice called out. "Use Hydro Pump!"

Blake groaned as two large sprays water rained down on the area. He was hoping their battle wouldn't get any unnecessary attention, but it appeared as though that couldn't be avoided. Blake began to sprint, heading toward Cynthia who he grabbed by the wrist to lead her away from this area.

Two guards passed through with a Poliwrath and Wartortle, dosing the flames that had been on the trees while searching for the source of the flames as well as the battle that had been taking place. Cynthia stared at Blake skeptically before she realized that he was actually helping her despite the fact that they were opponents just a few moments. Once the two of the arrived at the gate of the complex, Blake found that the gatekeeper and two guards were now taking their watch seriously which meant getting back in wouldn't be as easy.

"Damn it." Blake muttered before rummaging through his pocket before taking out a Poke-ball out this time. Throwing the Poke-ball to the ground, Blake released his Gallade into the brush he and Cynthia were hiding in.

"Lade." It said, addressing Blake with a nod.

"Yeah, its good to see you too." Blake replied, skipping the formalities. "I need your help. Can you use Teleport to take us to the roof of the junior dorms?"

Gallade took a moment to think, also looking at Cynthia to see if it could to do the job. After a few moments, Gallade gave them a nod, much to Blake's relief since he had never tried to use Teleport with Gallade along with another person. Gallade raised both its arms, one toward Blake and the other toward Cynthia who only stared at it.

"Take its hand, it's the only way you can come with us." Blake explained as he held Gallade's hand.

Cynthia did as she was told since she had no choice. Cynthia blinked, and she now found herself staring out at the Tsugi Complex from on top of the junior dorms.

"Good work Gallade." Blake said, thanking his Pokemon who gave him a nod. "Now let's get back to the freshman dorms."

"Hey Blake." Cynthia called out before the duo could leave.

"Hmm?" Blake asked, looking toward the blonde.

"Thanks." She mumbled, getting a nod from the boy.

"Consider it payment taking your Rank." Blake replied with a smirk before he and Gallade disappeared with the use of Teleport.

**April 3****rd**

**Cafeteria**

The lunch room was in silence as most of the students stared at the Top 10 that was show on the monitor on the far wall. There had been many changes since the beginning of the year, but now there were a few changes that had everyone shocked.

Rank 10 – Fiona

Everyone knew about Fiona being knocked out of the Top 10 by Ash. But after spending quite some time off the list, she had finally come back into the Top 10 at the end of March. Her return was nothing that was surprising to everyone, but everyone was wondering just how much stronger she had become since then.

Rank 9 – Jimmy

Rank 8 – Paul

Rank 7 – Anthony

It all appeared to be as it normally was, or at least that's how the Ranks seven through ten looked.

Rank 6 – Ash

Rank 5 – Cynthia

Everyone was wondering what had happened to Drake now that his name and picture had disappeared off of the Top 10 listing.

Rank 4 – Blake

Now this had quickly drawn everyone's attention. Three days ago, Blake was Rank 5 and known for his skills as well as his declaration against the Top 4 trainers of the Tsugi Academy after he defeated Fiona. But not only had he beaten Drake, but he had taken down Cynthia as well and taken both their Ranks. Unlike Gina who had taken Rank 1 in her freshman year through the Schoolwide Tournament, Blake had climbed the Ranks, and now everyone knew Blake had to be a skilled a trainer to beat both of them.

But while this had drawn a crowd, this wasn't the upset that had everyone's attention.

Rank 3 – David

Rank 2 – Gina

Gina had been in position as Rank 1 since her freshman year, and she hadn't lost a single battle since then. But to see her name and photo next to Rank 2 had thrown everyone for a loop. Perhaps David had challenged her the day before, but as they looked down to the person who held Rank 1, many of the juniors began to stare at a certain person in their grade level in a new light.

Rank 1 – Gary

"Gary." Ash muttered as he stared at picture of his long time rival. During the time Ash had been in the Tsugi Academy, Gary had never had a Rank while Ash had been in the Top 10 since his sophomore year, but to see Gary suddenly appear as Rank 1 really struck a nerve.

"Gina, what happened?" Cynthia asked as she took a seat beside her friend who was glaring at Gary Oak was comfortably seated in one of the corners of the cafeteria, munching on an red apple.

"That bastard forced me to battle him last night and he beat me." Gina replied, trying to keep her temper cool. "Apparently he took down David right before he battled me too."

"Were you battling him seriously?" Cynthia asked.

"I was. I pulled out all the stops but it turns out that Gary is like, ridiculously strong. He destroyed me." She admitted.

"He's that strong?" Cynthia exclaimed, glancing at the brunette.

"Yeah, he's the real deal." Gina replied before spotting a head of raven colored hair. It was Ash Ketchum. "But at the same time that makes me wonder why he was so obsessed with making sure Ash was depressed during this year."

"You don't think that Ash…could be stronger than Gary?" Cynthia asked, getting a shrug from Gina.

"I have no idea. He could be for all we know. He beat Fiona after all."

Blake sat alone on the low wall beside of the staircase that led out of the cafeteria, deep in thought. Gary was more than he couldn't ever imagined. He was probably an opponent Blake couldn't beat himself, and now that Gary held Rank 1 himself, Blake would have to change up his plans to save the senior class.

"Blake." Paul said, snapping the boy out his thoughts.

"Yeah?" He asked in return.

"Did you know Gary was that strong?" Paul asked, receiving no reply from Blake for a few moments.

"Yeah." Blake replied.

"Can you beat him?"

"Nope." Blake responded casually. "And you should know that."

Paul eyed Blake. He had thought that Blake hadn't notice him during his battle against Gary, but it appeared as though he did.

"So do you have anything in mind?" Paul went on.

"Do you remember that training regime we designed back in October?"

"...Yeah."

"We're going to test it out."

**April 4****th ****– Sunrise**

**Off Campus**

Ash rose up from the ground, scratching his stomach a bit as he looked around field he had been sleeping in.

'That's funny, I remember going to sleep in my room last night.' Ash said to himself, wondering how his surroundings changed so dramatically. Was he sleep walking during the night? 'Wait, I did go to sleep in my room last night.'

"Where the hell am I?" This shout didn't come from Ash, but from the green haired male who had been sleeping next to him. Drew wore a look of shock, wondering how exactly he was moved from the comforts of his dorm room to this grassy plain.

"Shut up Drew." A gruff voice said groggily, getting the attention of Ash and Drew. The two of them looked back to see Paul who was also sleeping on the grass, but he only rolled over and continued sleeping.

Unlike Paul, everyone else had been completely awakened by Drew's shout, this including Brock and Jimmy who rose up from the ground abruptly, searching for the disturbance.

"Hey, where are we?" Brock asked, realizing his surroundings didn't match where he had gone to sleep the night before.

"Oh good, you're all awake." A new voice said, getting everyone's attention. Blake was standing over all of them, wide awake and wearing a large smile. "I would suggest you address your instructors respectfully or else I'll make this month of training hell for you.

"What?!" Ash exclaimed, confused on what Blake was talking about.

It took some time, but eventually all of the guys understood what Blake was doing for them. Blake and Paul had created a special training regime quite some time ago, and the two of them were offering all them a chance to take part int it. The goal was take all of their Pokemon, break them down, and rebuild them into monsters that could stand against Gary Oak.

"I won't just be making your Pokemon stronger, I'll be making you guys as trainers stronger as well." Blake went on, motioning to each of the guys that were now wide awake. "I will destroy each of you, I will tear you down until you're at your weakest. Then you will be molded into trainers that will become the greatest Top 10 in Tsugi history."

"Well let's do this!" Ash shouted, rising a fist into the air.

"Why are you doing this?" Jimmy asked, getting a narrow glance from Blake before he chuckled.

"Because I can't beat Gary on my own. I need your help, but all of you at your currently level won't be any help. Even Fiona could beat all of you right now." Blake stated. "But when this training camp is over, you'll have skill and power that far exceed what you have right now."

"Even me?" Brock asked. He wasn't even the Top 10, or that great a battling.

"Yeah, even you Brock." Blake replied, giving him a nod.

"Alright then. Let's get this going then!" Ash said, eager to get started.

**Junior Dorms**

**Ash's Room**

Ash collapsed in his bed, unable to stand up any longer now that his first day of training under Blake had been completed. He had dropped off Pikachu at the Pokemon Center to rest for the night along with the guys before returning to his room. His muscles were worn out and he had no strength to do anything.

Although Ash had no room to complain after he saw Pikachu endure Blake's harsh training. The whole routine started by putting each of the Pokemon the guys used through the wringer. Putting one Pokemon in the center of a circle, the remaining Pokemon would surround and attack it for a period of time. This was not only a lesson in defense, but how to be evasive.

Once they completed the wringer, the entire group would go on a light jog around the wall of the campus which took about thirty minutes. From there they began to the real training for about two hours. This included battle practice where Blake purposely set them up to battle Pokemon that had an advantage against their own as well as making sure that their opponents had physical advantages this.

From this Blake could gauge their strengths and weaknesses. Paul's skills as a trainer were already refined to a point where he was already excellent, but Paul lacked creativity with his attacks. He was direct, relying on the power of his Pokemon more than his mind that could open up numerous possible strategies for him to use.

Ash reacted excellently to almost any situation, thinking quickly and countering many moves that would put him in bad situations. Unfortunately, Blake could clearly see that Ash's freedom was still being limited. Even though he had been set free from his depression, there was still a limiting factor present on Ash that Blake would have to look into later on.

Jimmy was skilled as well, handling most situations with well thought out counters. But Jimmy's moves were all based solely on what he's experienced already. When facing something he had never seen before, it took Jimmy some time to adept, but once he did, he was battling beautifully again.

Drew could become something deadly. With his experience as a Coordinator, Drew's battling style was something that could take most trainers by surprise. Sadly, Drew's emphasis on beauty did reduce the amount of power his Roserade would attack with, something Blake had decided he would fix forcibly.

Brock was a complete mystery to Blake. As Brock continued to battle during the day, Blake was surprised to see him at first have an incredibly rough time battling Ash, but by the end of the day he was actually keeping up with Ash quite well. It was amazing in fact. Brock himself rarely battle, but to keep up with someone from the Top 10 was making Blake look at senior in a new light.

Once the morning session was over, the guys would go to school. The moment the day was over, they quickly went off campus to continue their training with Blake. The afternoon was when the real hell began.

After a second wringer, Paul and Blake would then equip each of the Pokemon with an item from the school's storage area to promote the growth of certain states of each Pokemon. With these items on, the Pokemon would take part in the more physical part of the training where they would drag tires around the field to build up their strength and stamina. While Paul was in charge of Pokemon, he and Blake were taking part in this training regime as well which meant that Paul would be taking part in Blake's mental exercises.

The guys would sit in a circle, and each of them would name off a battle situation. From there they would throw out any kind of strategy they could think off and have it critiqued by others. Based on these tests, Blake could see just who needed to progress in what area. It was interesting to see where the strengths and weaknesses of each of the guys were. And it was also fun to pit them against each other while they were exhausted both physically and mentally. None of them could remember the discussion that took place during the training sessions, but they did remember laughing with each other which only strengthened their bonds.

**April 16****th**** – Evening**

**Off Campus**

Jimmy and Drew lay sprawled out on the grassy hill that over looked the Tsugi Complex, drenched in sweat. The two guys could only spare a glance at Brock, Ash and Paul who were still zealously battling each other down on the plain in front of them with the setting sun beating down on the boys.

The two of them had collapsed earlier, and unable to go any farther today. Blake warned each of them that they and their Pokemon would be hitting the peak of exhaustion within the next two days. Jimmy and Drew were the first of the group to reach their peak.

"Croagunk, split up!" Brock shouted as he and his partner leaped in opposite directions to avoid Pikachu and Weavile who were flanking them.

"Boy, you guys are working really hard." May stated as she took a seat beside Drew, handing him a water bottle.

"You can tell by their stench." Marina added, holding her nose as she passed a water bottle to Jimmy before heading down to other guys to give them some water as well.

"We can hear you!" All of them but Paul and Blake shouted in return, but Marina only stuck her tongue at them. Blake clapped his hands together twice, getting everyone's attention.

"Alright guys, let's take a short break to talk." Blake said, noticing that the second bluenette of the girls wasn't present.

"About what?" Paul asked as he dropped onto the grass to rest, using the towel he had brought to wipe away the sweat on his forehead.

"Dawn Berlitz." Blake said, causing May and Marina to freeze up.

"Now that I think about it, what happened to Dawn?" Ash called out.

"Dawn?" May repeated.

"Yeah, I haven't seen her around that much." Ash noted, hoping May or Marina could shine some light as to the whereabouts of his close friend. "Is she sick or something?"

"Dawn…she's getting ready to leave Tsugi Island." Marina said, getting many surprised glances from the guys, including Paul although it was nothing more than a raised brow.

"What?" Ash said in a whisper. "When is she leaving?"

"In about three hours. She's still meeting with her teachers, but after that she just as to pick up her bag from her room and then she's leaving." May explained, looking toward Ash specifically who was listening intently. "Marina and I couldn't convince her to stay."

"But we all know who _can_ convince her to stay." Blake cut in, putting all eyes on Ash. The raven haired boy looked around at the group, raising his eyebrows at them.

"What am I supposed to do?" Ash asked, scratching the back of his neck. The group face faulted. "I'm serious guys, what am I supposed to do!?"

"Confess!" Everyone shouted at him in unison as they rose up from the ground.

"Confess? Why would I do that?" Ash asked, the honesty in his eyes preventing everyone from smacking him upside the head.

"It'll make her stay Ash!" May shrieked.

"But why would that make her stay?" Ash's question resulted in everyone staring at him in a deadpan. Then Paul stepped forward.

"Let me break it down for him. Dawn..." Paul began, allowing the mental image to form in Ash head. "Likes you."

It was Ash's turn to stare at the group in a deadpan, pointing at himself.

"Yes you!" They roared. "Now get going!"

The group practically chased Ash away to get him going. Once he was gone, they could only sigh at how unbelievably dense Ash was, and the fact that still hadn't come to that conclusion himself based on the events that took place during the past year.

**Tsugi Academy**

Ash raced through the building in search Dawn, but because of their difference in grade level, Ash soon realized that Dawn was in a completely different wing of the school. Ash came skidding to a halt before making a one eighty to start moving in the opposite direction.

Crossing the entire school in a sprint would take him a few minutes, but time was of the essence. If he missed Dawn now, he would have to pursue her all the way to the docks, and he would lose a lot of time if he did that. Once he reached the sophomore wing, Ash rushed to the room of the only teacher he still interacted with from his sophomore year.

"Tyson!" Ash burst into the room of his favorite teacher and role model, surprising the brown haired male who had been shuffling through some papers on his desk.

Mr Tyson was a young teacher who had retired early on in his Pokemon career after entering the Hall of Fame. Ash viewed this man as his role model, the trainer he wanted to be once he graduated from high school.

"Oh Ash, how've you been?"

"No time for questions, have you seen Dawn Berlitz!?" Ash asked, getting a confused look from Tyson.

"Uh yeah, she just passed by a while ago looking for Harrison." Tyson replied, receiving a nod from Ash before he left the room with a quick thanks. "Boy, that kid only gets stranger every time I see him."

Ash burst back into his room.

"Hey Tyson, where can I find Mr Harrison!" Ash asked.

"Go down this hall and make the first left. His room is the second door on the right." Tyson explained, watching Ash disappear again. For a few moments all was quiet, then he heard a loud crash from the corridor followed by Ash apologizing to someone profusely.

Rushing out of his room, Tyson found one of the janitors resting on his bottom, most of his supplies all over the floor around him. Ash was no where to be found, so Tyson could only assume the boy had continued on.

Ash came to a stop in front of Mr Harrison's room, finding that the man was alone in his room. Harrison was another young trainer that had been hired by the Tsugi Academy after retiring early as member of the Hall of Fame.

"Mr Harrison, was Dawn Berlitz just in here?!"

"Yeah, she was." He replied, looking back at Ash. "She just left a few minutes ago."

"Do you know where she was heading next?" Ash asked frantically.

"I was the last teacher on her list. I believe she's headed for her Dorm room now and then she's leaving Tsugi Island." He replied. "Shame though, she had some real potential when it came to Pokemon Contests."

Ash had left Harrison's room in a hurry, rushing down the hall toward one of the emergency exits which he could leave the building instead of wasting time traveling to the front door to get out. Burst out of the steel door, Ash went down three flights of stairs before he reached the ground. From there he began circling around the building to the front where he began moving straight toward the junior dorms where Dawn was currently lodging.

He came to the front doors of the Dorm, Ash froze in place as he saw a blue haired beauty exiting the dorms with only a backpack on her back and her hair blowing about behind her. Ash could only stare at Dawn as she continued walk, leaving the shadow that was being cast by the junior dorms. The moment the sun hit her hair and skin, Ash's eyes widened. She looked radiant in the sunset, although it was only her back he was getting to see.

Dawn was saddened as she made her way toward the gates of the complex. She would be leaving so much behind, but the last two weeks had been horrifying for her. She had barely slept each night, she couldn't focus in class and she was discovering that it was becoming harder and harder to talk to guys, even Ash.

Every night she had multiple nightmares that all revolved around Conway somehow managing to get away from Ash with her, and doing whatever he pleased with her. And as time passed, her nightmares got worse, to the point where she was up most of the night, doing her best not to awaken Marina. She was scared, and she really needed some time to relax her mind.

"Dawn?" A voice called out to Dawn. A voice she was really hoping she could avoid before she left. She quickened her pace, but just as she thought she was gaining some distance a hand had grabbed her wrist.

Dawn glanced over her shoulder; finding that it was none other than Ash Ketchum holding onto her wrist. Dawn's flinched before she wrenched her hand out of Ash's grip, unable to make eye contact with him any longer. Ash was surprised by her glance, and even more surprised with her reaction, but he quickly circled around the girl.

Dawn had been looking down at her feet as she walked, her bangs casting a shadow over her eyes before she bumped into Ash's chest. Ash tried to chuckle at her actions, but when she looked up at him, his laughter quickly died down. He could clearly see that tears were threatening to leak out of the corner of eyes.

"Is everything okay Dawn?" He asked as the girl brushed past him, hiding her eyes with her bangs once again.

Ash she passed him, Dawn felt an hand grab onto her wrist once again which resulted in the girl trying to break free once again. This time Ash tightened his grip, but he allowed her to pull him along with her.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" He asked no that he was beside her, refusing to release her.

"You wouldn't understand." She replied darkly, deciding that she would have no choice but to face Ash now.

"Please Dawn, just tell me what's making you leave the Tsugi Academy and all your friends." Ash pleaded with her in a calm voice.

"I already told you Ash, its something you wouldn't understand." She repeated for him. Ash remained silent for a moment before he realized what must've been bothering her.

"If it's about what happened with Conway, you're right, I wouldn't understand." Ash began. "But it's just like you told me a while ago, you can't face everything on your own. No ones perfect Dawn, and relying on others is part of being human."

Dawn looked up at Ash, then she attempted to break loose from his hold once again. But Ash remained firm.

"Ash, I just need some time to think. There's no need to worry about me." She said, trying to push him away, but Ash spotted a tear trickling down her right cheek. Ash used his remaining hand to wrap it around her torso before pulling her close.

"Dawn, I have every right to worry about you…because I'm in love with you."

* * *

><p><strong>Gasp! Finally, the confession. After months in both the real world and the Pokemon world, their hearts may finally meet and become intertwined.<br>**

**So what did ya'll think? It took almost an entire year for me to get to this point, but we're finally here. But what how will things progress from this point?**

**Leave a review, this fic is moving on toward its climax, so stay tuned. For now, peace out everyone! :D**


	23. The King and Queen of Hearts

Part 23

"Awesome, he really said it!" May exclaimed quietly to Marina who gave her a nod.

"Shh, I can't hear them." Drew whispered harshly to the two girls at the whole group that had been training off campus was now watching Ash and Dawn from a distance.

Brock and Paul were the only ones that weren't listening intently, Paul finding the situation to be a loss of valuable training time while Brock was huddled in a corner, saddened at the fact that Ash, the boy with no talent when it came to a love life, had gotten two girls before Brock had gotten one.

* * *

><p>Dawn could only wish that Dialga come down from whatever dimension it existed in to stop time just for her to have enough time to comprehend what Ash had just told her. She was certain that the words 'I love you' had come out of Ash's mouth, but she was quick to look around to make sure Ash wasn't somehow talking to someone else.<p>

Dawn then looked up at Ash, pointing to herself. Ash wanted to burst into a fit of laughter at her dumbfounded expression, but he managed to restrain himself when the bluenette returned her gaze to her feet.

"So will you at least tell me what's bothering you? I don't think it's very fair of you to just leave me hanging on a limb here."

There was a few moments of silence before Dawn reluctantly agreed, which resulted in the two of them taking a seat on a nearby wooden bench. Ash allowed Dawn some time to cool her head as she sorted herself out, but in truth, Ash was mess on the inside as well. He couldn't decide whether he was happy or sad. Dawn hadn't rejected him after his confession, but she didn't except either.

"I was scared Ash." She began. She was speaking very softly, but Ash managed to make out her words as she spoke. "Conway and I had become such good friends, I trusted him, and then when he hypnotized me…I didn't know who I could trust for a while."

Ash listened on, leaning back on the bench as Dawn continued to speak.

"I never thought something like that would happen in high school of all place. And then my dreams didn't help at all. No matter what I did I couldn't defend myself from Conway." Dawn's voice became hoarse, causing Ash to scoot over to her, placing an arm around her back. "I couldn't protect myself, and it's not like I'm May or Marina who have Drew and Jimmy to help them. I was alone."

Ash carefully placed a hand on her back, giving it a quick rub before he slowly placed an arm around her.

"Now that's where you're wrong Dawn. You're not alone. You have-" Ash's voice seemed to falter before he gulped so that he could continue speaking. "…family…you have friends care about you, and you have me."

Dawn stopped herself, realizing that she was being a hypocrite. And to make it worse, she had completely disregarded Ash's feelings at the moment. She was headed home to her mother who would definitely do everything in her power to comfort her in her time of need. Ash was in a similar situation a few months before, but all he returned to was a gravestone.

"Back in Pallet Town you slapped me for being a coward." Ash brought one of the topics Dawn was hoping they would never return to. "I had fallen as low as I could go, but with everyone's help I bounced back. That's what friends are for Dawn. But I want to do more than just be a friend to you Dawn."

Dawn's eyes widened before she looked at Ash, physically turning to face him now.

"You were there for me when I was at my lowest, and you did your best to help me." Ash continued. "Now I see you at your down Dawn, and I want to help you feel better too. But I want to do more than that Dawn. I want help you rise, make you feel safe, but above all of that I want you to be happy."

Ash's words were sincere, as was the stare was he was giving Dawn. The bluenette couldn't come up with any words to express herself, which only left Ash confused as to whether or not she was going to return his feelings.

"R…Really Ash. Do you mean that?" She asked, breaking the silence as she received a confident nod from the boy.

"So will you stay here?" He asked hopefully.

"Only if you agree to be my boyfriend."

"Wait, does that mean you like me too?"

"No, it means I love you Ash!" She said, throwing herself onto the boy.

Ash was caught of guard by her action which resulted in the two of them falling over on the bench, Ash resting on his back with Dawn on top of him. Their faces were inches apart, but neither of them could follow through with the action that would come next.

All they could do was blush and stare into each others eyes.

Time had stopped for the newly formed couple. It was dream come true for Dawn, although she couldn't tell if she was dreaming or not.

"Yeah I hate to ruin a moment like this but…" Blake trailed off as he placed a hand on the back of Dawn's head, pushing her head toward Ash's.

Their lips met, and neither of them could protest for several moments until Blake released his hold on Dawn's head. Once they broke apart, both Ash and Dawn began to shout out Blake while he only cackled.

"If I remember correctly, the ferry that's taking Dawn to Sinnoh should be arriving at the south docks any minute now." Blake said, looking down at the couple.

"Oh no, mom's waiting for me!" Dawn exclaimed, leaping off of the bench and Ash.

**South Docks**

Johanna rested alone in the back of the boat which was now beside the pier, looking for her daughter. She had called her daughter earlier this afternoon, and Dawn had told her that she would be waiting at the docks for her.

Dawn wasn't present at the pier when they arrived about a half an hour ago, so Johanna could on wonder what could be holding up her daughter. Dawn had been distraught during each of their conversations since the first time she called, although she constantly mentioned Ash, but now that Dawn wasn't showing up, she was becoming worried.

"Mom!" A voice cried out, snapping Johanna out of her thoughts. The rather young woman quickly looked around before spotting two figures approaching the pier where the ferry had docked.

"Dawn." Johanna exclaimed as her daughter stopped at the edge of the pier, looking up at her mother who was standing on the deck of the boat.

"Mom! I'm sorry, but I'm not going home with you." She shouted to her mother who raised her eyebrows.

"Are you sure Dawn?" Johanna asked, receiving a nod from her daughter. "Why the sudden change in heart?"

Johanna's could feel a sudden wave of relief wash over her when Dawn gave her the brightest smile she had seen in a while from the girl.

"No need to worry mom, I'm not scared anymore!" Dawn replied happily. "Because now I have someone that I can always depend on no matter what!"

"But how do I know that this person will protect you from harm?" Johanna asked as Ash stepped up.

"Because I love her!" Ash responded firmly, not a hint of doubt in his voice.

Johanna stared at Ash for a moment, taking a moment to observe him. Ash became slightly unnerved by her skeptical glance at first, but he held his composure until Johanna smiled at him. She could tell that this was the boy Dawn had been talking about since her Freshman year in the Tsugi Academy.

"And how do I know I can believe that?" Johanna asked, not expecting the answer Ash would give her.

He grabbed Dawn by her waist and pulled her toward him before he planted a kiss on her lips, right in front of her mother. Now Ash had refused to go along with this action when Blake had told him to this before they the Academy, but Blake assured him that this would allow him to claim victory over Johanna when it came to Dawn. Johanna only stared at the two of them in disbelief for a moment before she dashed off the deck in search of the ramp leading to the pier.

Just when Ash was about to break away from Dawn and flash Johanna a grin, he found two hands around his neck, mercilessly strangling him. Ash was pulled away from Dawn by a seething Johanna who was obviously acting off of the pure shock of her daughter kissing a boy.

'I knew Blake's plan wasn't the right idea!' Ash exclaimed mentally, but after a few moments, Johanna paused. She was looking toward Dawn, who hadn't said a word since Johanna had separated them.

Inspecting her daughter, Johanna could see that Dawn was dreamily staring off into space with rosy cheeks. It was a look that Johanna could remember on her face at well when she was younger. Perhaps she could leave Dawn in Ash's care.

Looking back at the dark haired boy she was holding, Johanna discovered that he had gone limp in her hands from lack of air, which quickly snapped Dawn out of her thoughts.

"Mom, what did you do to him!?" Dawn shrieked as Johanna hastily laid Ash down on the cement to check and see if he was alright.

* * *

><p>Johanna sat alone on the forward deck of the ship, staring out at the dark horizon. She couldn't even tell where the ocean and the sky met, although that didn't matter to the woman since she could only think about what was in store for her daughter.<p>

Dawn's romance seemed very similar to her own back when her high school days were coming to a close. Granted, she didn't go through such a crazy experience as Dawn did, but Johanna did find herself completely head over heels in love with a guy who actually returned her feelings. That was when she was her happiest.

Unfortunately, while the two of them as a new couple had cleared a very unorthodox hurdle, there was another one that Johanna was beginning to worry about. There was another boy that was in love Dawn before she came to the Tsugi Academy. And she was sure that he had come to the Tsugi Academy to pursue her.

That left her to wonder how Ash would handle some more competition.

**April 17th**

**Junior Dorms**

It was the end of another day of training, and Dawn Berlitz found herself acting as a support piece for Ash as they traveled back to his room. Today it was Ash's turn to hit his peak of exhaustion, and he could barely walk. It was still pretty early in the afternoon, but Ash and Pikachu had dropped during a battle with Blake, followed by Paul and Brock.

This resulted in Blake declaring that they take some time off for a break, so he gave them the rest of today and tomorrow to rest up before they continue with the usual regime. Now Dawn was helping Ash return to his room where he planned to sleep for the rest of the afternoon and night.

"Heh heh, sorry about this Dawn." Ash muttered as they slowly neared the door to his room.

"Ash, quit saying that. You know I have no complaints." Dawn replied.

"Except for the stench." Ash mumbled with a small grin.

Dawn simply stuck her tongue out at him, although she had to admit, after Ash spent most of the day sweating, and he brought the term bad odor to a whole new level.

Once they came to his door, Dawn opened it up using Ash's key card. The couple entered his room, and helped him over to his bed where she left him laying on his back. Her parting gift was a soft kiss on the forehead which received a kind thanks from Ash as she began to leave his room. As she passed Ash's desk, Dawn came a sudden stop, a small object on Ash's desk catching her eye.

"Hey Ash, what's this?" Dawn asked as she picked up what appeared to be a miniature version of Misty that could be attached to a finishing line. Dawn turned around, holding the small object with two fingers for Ash to see.

"Oh that…Misty made if for me when we first started dating. It's a fishing lure. While Misty and I hit the point where we only fought with each other, I would take that lure and remember the times when we were happy and hope that we could go back to those times." Ash explained rather sorrowfully. "After we broke up, I just couldn't part ways with. I just wanted to remember the times when I was in a happy relationship, and that lure was the only thing I have left from those times."

Dawn gave Ash a blank stare. When she first spotted the Misty lure, she was wondering if Ash might have been trying to hide it from her. But she knew better than that. Ash was far to honest to even think of doing something like that. Even if the lure was from another girl, Dawn would allow him to keep it.

As for the girl that had given him that lure, she would have to pay her a visit.

**Off-Campus**

Dawn had received word from a trio of juniors that they had seen Misty heading off campus toward her usual hang out spot. That would be the lake that was just beyond the complex, hidden in the dense forest that covered about a half of the island.

Moving in between the tree trunks, Dawn soon found the water source she was looking for, as well as a head of orange hair in front of the lake. Watching Misty from a far, Dawn could see that was seated along the edge of the lake with lower portion of her legs delicately placed in the water. Her hair had been let down, tumbling down to her shoulders, and her melancholy gaze made her look majestic. Dawn could see why Ash had fallen for her over a year ago.

But that didn't change the fact that Misty had caused Ash so much heartache over the past few months.

"Misty." Dawn said, making her presence known to the girl who jumped before looking in Dawn's direction. Dawn stepped out from behind the tree trunk.

"Oh, its you." Misty mumbled as she stood up, leaving her feet in the water.

"I challenge you to a battle!" Dawn declared.

"What for?"

"Simply to pay you back for earlier this year." Dawn replied smoothly, taking out Piplup's Poke-ball. Misty seemed to shudder when she recalled what she had done to Dawn at the beginning of the school year. Misty knew she had done some terrible things…and now the least she could do was battle Dawn and trying to figure out a way to pay her back.

"Sure…" Misty replied softly as she took out her Starmie's Poke-ball. Both of the girls gave their Poke-ball a toss into the air, releasing their respective Pokemon for battle.

"Piplup!" The small penguin said as it stretched a bit, warming for the battle.

"You can have the first move." Misty said once her Starmie was ready.

"Big mistake!" Dawn said as she pointed at Starmie. "Piplup, use Bubblebeam with a spin!"

Piplup leaped into the air before pointing itself at Starmie where it opened up its beak, firing a torrent of cyan colored bubbles at Starmie. Misty stared at the oncoming attack, taking note of how large the spread was. There was no way to escape from the sides.

"Starmie, break your way through with Rapid Spin!" Misty shouted. Starmie began to spin, canceling out the bubble based attack as it came into the contact with it. Starmie then began to move toward Piplup, charging right though its attack to strike the smaller Pokemon.

"Piplup, counter the Rapid Spin with Whirlpool!" Dawn yelled, catching Misty off guard. The Bubblebeam attack was quickly changed into a ranging whirlpool that Starmie disappeared into, taking some consistent damage from the attack. "Alright Piplup, now your own battling in your element, attack with Drill Peck!"

Dawn smiled as Piplup's beak became cloaked in a white energy, becoming doubled in length before it began to spin. The two of them had been putting in a lot of time to progress Piplup's normal Peck attack to the next level. And they had finally achieved that prior to School Spirit Week during their training for the contest.

Piplup leaped into the Whirlpool, quickly hunting down Starmie who was still adjusting to the powerful current created in the Whirlpool attack. Piplup stuck Starmie several times with its enhanced Drill Peck before it was finally able to swim freely in the raging waters.

"Starmie, break free using your own Whirlpool!" Misty called out, seeing that Starmie would finally be able to cancel the Whirlpool now that it could withstand the current.

The creation of Starmie's Whirlpool simply canceled out Piplup's and its own, but the blast of water sent Piplup reeling from the attack.

"Now follow up with Rapid Spin!" Starmie burst forward, landing another assault on Piplup who failed to dodge the first attack, allowing Starmie to continue its chain.

"Piplup, use Ice Beam on the ground!" Dawn shouted as Starmie dove in for another attack, planning to land the finisher on the small Pokemon. Piplup was never good at taking damage, it was coming across now with the fact that Piplup was now heavily damaged by its own standards.

"Pip-lup!" It shouted, firing the powerful beam at the ground which launched it into the air just before Starmie struck. Missing Piplup, Starmie flew right into the path of the Ice Beam, becoming frozen on contact.

Misty's eyes widened when she realized that Starmie had been trapped, and was completely open for whatever attack Dawn would like to use.

"Piplup, finish it with Drill Peck!"

Piplup cut off the Ice Beam, beginning to fall toward Starmie who was encased in ice, prepared to pierce right through the ice and finish battle. As Piplup hit the ice, its beak began to grind through thick layer of ice which took a short period of time before actually hit Starmie who was at the center of the block. As Piplup hit Starmie, the ice Starmie was encased in blew out in all directions while Piplup sent it spiraling into the ground.

"Alright! We won Piplup!" Dawn exclaimed as she rushed over to her partner, snatching it from on top of the Starmie's who's jewel was flickering which signified the end of the battle.

Misty sighed as she lifted Starmie's Poke-ball, returning it to safety where it could rest.

"Now that we beat you, I want you to leave Ash alone!" Dawn shouted, surprising Misty. She had come to state her claim on Ash to Misty, but Misty's reaction was the last thing she was expecting.

Misty dropped to her knees, letting out a wail as tears rolled down her cheeks. This left Dawn confused. She wanted to leave Misty as she was, but Dawn couldn't convince herself to do so, even if the orange haired girl was responsible for so many of Ash's problems.

Dawn approached her tentatively, kneeling down in front of her with Piplup beside her.

"W-What happened Misty?" She asked, unsure of how she should handle this situation.

"Gary…dumped me!" She explained in between her cries.

* * *

><p><strong>And here we go again. Chapter 23.<strong>

**I don't have a lot to say this time, just to enjoy what you're reading and leave a review! Many thanks go out to all of you who have reviewed before. :D **

**R & R folks! **


	24. A Full Deck : End of Act Three

Part 24

Dawn sat down beside Misty, trying to figure out how she could comfort the orange haired girl as she wailed loudly.

"What happened Misty?" Dawn asked, carefully placing a hand on Misty's back.

"Gary dumped me!" She repeated for Dawn.

At first what Misty revealed to Dawn didn't register with the girl, but now that she heard it again, Dawn was definitely confused. Why would Gary dump Misty now?

"Why?" Dawn asked, taking a seat beside the girl as she began to rummage through the small knapsack she had on her back, checking to see if she had any kind of tissues. She had an apple wrapped in a paper towel, which was good enough for Misty at the moment.

Misty remained silent for a few moments, wiping away her tears before sniffling a couple of times. She took a few steady breaths to calm down before she began speaking again.

"Gary…just dumped last night." Misty began, struggling to remain calm as her voice became strained. "I hadn't done anything to him, it was just out of the blue."

"Are you sure that something didn't happen?" Dawn asked. Even though Gary and Misty caused Ash so much grief, Dawn had to admit that the two of them looked happy together. Something wasn't adding up.

"I hadn't done a thing, and then last night he just barged into my rooming shouting about how I did a terrible job of making sure Ash was miserable until the end of the school year." Misty went on before she came to a sudden stop when Dawn's eyes widened.

"Wait…you were making sure Ash was miserable? Why?" Dawn asked, shocking Misty since she was expecting the blue haired girl to react violently at the revelation. Misty took a few moments to think about whether or not she should share the story about herself and Gary.

The guy she had thought she was in love with had just dumped her abruptly. What reason did she possibly have to not expose a piece of whatever he was planning.

"It all started about a year and a half ago." Misty began with a sigh. "Back when Gary and I were still dating the first time. We had been talking one night, and Gary said that he was thinking about trying to become Rank 1 in the school. I told him he would have to deal with people like Gina and Ash, but he seemed really indifferent. Then he told me that he wouldn't have to worry about Gina, only Ash."

Dawn listened on intently, curious as to where this story was going to lead to.

"Then he started telling me this whole crazy story about how Ash's battling skill is strongly dependent on his mentality. He said if we could ruin it, that he would have a one hundred percent chance of getting Rank 1 during his Junior year. I told him that I was with him all the way." Misty went on sadly, looking down at her hands that had been stained by the soil she and Dawn were sitting on. "Then he told me that I would have to get into a relationship with Ash in order for his plan to work. My purpose was to make Ash depressed so that he wouldn't be-"

Misty found herself resting on her side, a stinging pain on her cheek. She was shocked for a few moments before she realized that Dawn had hit her.

"How could you do something like this? I don't care about what you did to me, but do you have any idea what you did to Ash?!" Dawn shouted at Misty, watching as the girl remained silent. "He was hopelessly in love you, and you trampled over his feelings. For months he would desperately hope that the two of your could become a happy couple, but the fact that you did this to him deliberately!"

Dawn stopped herself, unable to continue. All she could do now was leave Misty in a huff to make sure she didn't try to harm her.

Misty watched as Dawn left her alone by the lake. She let out a heavy sigh before looking out at the lake again as she began to recall of the nights she spent lying awaking in her bed, disgusted with her treatment of Ash. She could only wish that she could take back everything she had done.

When Ash had spoken to her and Gary after he returned from Pallet Town, it seemed as though he had forgiven her for her actions. But now that Misty looked back at his apology to her, she realized that Ash's apology had nothing to do with what was really going on.

She was the one that was at fault, and she owed the raven haired boy so much more than a simple apology.

'Well now…it looks like a piece of Gary's plan has slipped into the open.' Blake noted as he scribbled away in a notebook, hidden in the bushes surrounding the lake. He had been there since Dawn had arrived, and their conversation had brought a few things to light for him. 'I know Gary's plan has something to do with the senior class that's graduating this year, but I still need more information.'

**April 18th**

**Junior Dorms**

Ash stretched a bit as he moved toward the door of his room, feeling much better have a long night of rest. He was sure he take on a full day of training again, but Blake had ordered him and the rest of the guys to take on a full day of rest, so he was heading out for an early breakfast.

Cracking open the door to his room, Ash stepped out of his room, oblivious to the body that was in front of the door which he tripped on. With a yelp, Ash hit the floor making a loud thud, causing the person in front of Ash's door to awaken when his knee came into contact with their back.

"Ash?"

"Misty?"

The two remained on the floor in silence for a short period of time before Ash decided to break the silence.

"Were you outside my room all night?" Ash asked, curious as to why she would do something like this.

"Umm, yeah." She replied slowly.

"Why?"

"Because…I want to apologize for everything I did to you." Misty began, surprised to see Ash rise up to his feet.

"Misty, we've been over this already. I didn't do my part to make sure you were happy. Let's just leave it at that." Ash said before Misty could continue.

"Ash, you don't understand. The fact that we were fighting wasn't because we were incompatible, I was doing that intentionally." Misty said desperately, noticing Ash's expression visibly harden.

Silence drifted through the corridor they stood in for a few moments, time which Ash spent processing what Misty had just revealed to him while Misty planned out how she would proceed from this point.

"What?" Was all Ash managed to come up with.

"I didn't argue with you because our relationship was failing Ash, it was part of plan to make you miserable." Misty explained before she found two heavy hands on her shoulders with Ash's dark brown eyes staring into her own.

"Who's?"

"It was Gary. He knew you were the only person in the Top 10 that was capable of battling him on an even level. So my job was to make sure you were unhappy so that your battling style would be unstable." Misty continued, causing Ash to stop and think for several moments.

"So all of that crap you put me through since our sophomore year was for Gary to become the undisputed Rank 1?" Ash asked, putting together the situation after some serious thought.

Misty could only nod her head, causing Ash to turn away. His mouth was shut, concealing that fact that he was roughly grinding his teeth against each other. It was the quickest way for him to keep his temper from boiling over.

"Ash, I just want to apologize for everything I've done. I'm truly, deeply sorry for everything. I really didn't want to hurt you in anyway-" Misty said before she was interrupted by Ash.

"Then why did you?" Ash snapped at her, glancing over his shoulder.

"Because I wanted to help Gary. I loved him, and I wanted to do anything for him." Misty responded, only for Ash's eyes to narrow as he stared at her.

"But what gives you the right to hurt other people just to satisfy one person?" Ash asked in a chilling voice.

Misty paused, unable to answer Ash's question since her answer would only bury her in her own mistakes.

"That's why I want to apologize. I want to fix everything I did to you Ash, so please if there's anything you need, just-" Misty found herself being interrupted by Ash once again.

"Look Misty, right now, I think its best that we didn't talk to each other…at all." Ash said, loud enough for her to hear before he began to walk down the hall, forgetting the fact that he had left the door to his room wide open.

Misty could only watch as he quietly walked down the hall, leaving her in front of his door. The orange haired girl looked toward his room, deciding to close his door as her first act of kindness toward him. She was sure now that it would take more than a great effort to gain Ash Ketchum's forgiveness for what she had done.

**April 24th**

**Tsugi Academy**

Ten students found themselves all seated in front of Principal Spruce who was looking down at them with an empty stare. Now these students weren't your ordinary students of the Tsugi Academy, they were the Top 10. The best of all of the students that were attending this Academy.

It was rare that everyone from the Top 10 gathered together, but this was one of those situations where they were called together for a special reason.

"I know a few of you took part in this before, but since we have some new members, I have to explain this old tradition. " Spruce began. "Once a year, the five Academies pit their Top 10's against each other. Since we were the winners last year, the remaining four Academies will be battling against each other for the right to challenge us. While these may seem like regular matches, these battles also show the strengths and weaknesses of each Academy and their teaching methods to see who is the best. You all should think of yourselves as the representatives of the Tsugi Academy to the rest of the world."

Five out of the ten students present had taken part in this already, but the remaining five which included Blake, Jimmy, Paul, Gary and David were wondering what to expect from the trainers from the other four major Academies. Each of the students held a different expression on their face as this news that was revealed to them.

Fiona was staring at Gary with a look of indifference, confused as to how he had suddenly seized Rank 1, defeating both Gina and David in the process. Jimmy was looking around at the students that were part of the Top 10, slightly unnerved since this was the first time he had met together with the entire Top 10 for business such as this. Paul was staring at the group with his usual stoicism, perfectly masking his excitement for getting to battle foreign trainers.

Ash was just as eager as Paul, although his was far more visible than Paul's. But at the same time the raven haired guy was restraining himself as he stared at Gary. He could only wonder what was so appealing about him to convince Misty to use such underhanded tactics for him to gain Rank 1.

Anthony was quiet, recalling the training he had done with his Lucario in preparation for the battles that were soon to come for the right of the strongest Academy on the globe. Cynthia, David and Gina were all giving sparing glances to Blake and Gary, unsure of how to feel with the sudden breech in the original ranking.

Blake and Gary only smirked, their interest lying only in the possibilities that they could create during this crucial time of the year.

"By the end of this month we should be able to find out which of the Academies we will be battling against. So until then, I encourage each of you to take on some extra training and prepare yourselves for the battles." Spruce continued.

**April 27th**

**Off-Campus**

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, watching his partner leap into the air high over the trees as it charged up its cheeks with a strong electrical current.

"Pika-chu!" It shouted, its entire body becoming enveloped in a yellow cloak before it fired the attack straight down the ground beneath. When the blast of electricity hit the earth, the ground was obliterated, kicking up a huge dust cloud which was blown out in all directions by the force of the blast.

It took a small period of time before the cloud finally cleared away, revealing a large crater with Pikachu standing at the center, looking up at Ash sheepishly while rubbing the back of its neck.

"Awesome Pikachu, your Thunderbolt has reached a whole new level!" Ash shouted, praising the small yellow Pokemon for its growth during the past month.

"Yeah Pikachu, that was amazing!" Dawn added from the sidelines along with a shout from Piplup as support for her boyfriend.

Blake had announced that the guys had completed their training as of today before adding that its time that the Pokemon demonstrate their strength to their trainers as proof of how strong they had become.

"That's nothing, Weavile, use Crush Claw!" Paul jumped in along with his Weavile who gave him a nod before it took scraped its claws against the other. Its claws became reflective before Weavile lowered its stance, deciding that its target would be for its attack. Placing its claws against the ground, Weavile took off as a darkened blur, toward the tree, its claws tearing apart the soil as it moved.

Paul couldn't help but smirk as Weavile moved at its previous maximum speed with ease now. In one month Weavile's amazing speed had doubled, and its strength had done the same, this becoming evident to the group when Weavile seemed to pass straight through the tree trunk before coming to an immediate stop behind it.

"Vile." It said as its straightened, waiting for the results of training to be seen by the audience. A single diagonal cut could be seen through the base of the tree which then toppled over, revealing a perfect cut.

"Good work Weavile." Paul said to his companion before he noticed Ash staring intently at the tree Weavile had just destroyed.

"Alright Typhlosion, let's show them our stuff!" Jimmy declared, jumping in as well. "Use Blast Burn straight into the crater!"

Typhlosion roared as the flames on its neck doubled in size before it jumped into the air over the crater. The fire type Pokemon opened up its mouth, releasing a golden sphere which went crashing into the crater.

The entire group that was watching fell back on their feet as the sphere exploded, releasing an enormous pillar of golden flames.

"Too much!" Jimmy shouted, releasing the attack would quickly get out of control. "Marina!"

"I'm on it!" She shouted as she and Dawn called out their water type Pokemon, ordering out a few water attacks to dose the flames before it could start a large forest fire.

It took a few moments before the problem was resolved completely, Jimmy scratching the back of its neck with a nervous chuckle.

"Alright Jimmy, I don't want you using Blast Burn with your Typhlosion unless its a last resort attack, or an emergency." Blake said after approaching Jimmy.

The entire group could agree that the power of that attack was far beyond what they expected, but on the downside, the accuracy to Typhlosion's Blast Burn was very bad. It could only hit a big target properly, so the move was far from prefect.

"Now let's move on to Drew and Brock." Blake said, motion toward the two non-rankers of the group who were waiting for their time to shine.

"It's about time. Now I can show you all how this is really done." Drew said as he motioned for his Roserade to step forward. "Roserade, Solarbeam!"

"Rose…" It said softly, raising both its hands above its head where it became to draw in sunlight as little sparkles. The time it took Roserade to charge up a Solarbeam had been significantly reduced thanks to Blake's training. "Rade!"

The sparkles gathered together into an orb which Roserade proceeded to fire straight up into the sky, becoming more massive as its rose higher and higher into the air. Once Roserade ended the attack, the entire group was bathed in a shower of white sparkles that was produced from the attack.

"Wow, that was great Drew!" Dawn and Marina said together, impressed with how he made such a powerful attack beautiful.

"That's my Drew!" May called out to Drew who answered her with a wave.

"And that leaves Brock now." Ash commented, putting all eyes on Brock who stepped forward along with his Croagunk, and aura of confidence radiating off the duo.

"Croagunk, let's show em' your Brick Break on the ground!" Brock said, watching as Croagunk took a few moments to process the order before it raised its left hand in a rather casual manner.

"Croa…" It said before it dropped its hand down on the ground with a surprising amount of force that surprised even Brock when a spider web of cracks was created on the ground spreading out from the point of impact.

While everyone applauded the small poison type Pokemon, Blake was leering at it from a distance, unimpressed with it. While it was true that Croagunk's progress during the month was astounding, Blake felt as though there was still plenty of potential locked away in the Pokemon that still had to be set free. He couldn't deny that Brock had done an excellent job of raising it throughout his time in the Tsugi Academy because its strength for a Pokemon that hadn't evolved were incredible, there was still more that could be done.

"Well that about wraps things up!" Blake said, clapping his hands together. "So do you guys think you're ready to take on anyone now?"

"Yeah!" All the guys shouted together with the exception of Paul before they were joined by the girls were excited about getting to travel to a different region and see the Tsugi Top 10 taken on another Top 10 from a different region.

"Good, because the finale will take place in Sinnoh." Blake said to himself, quietly to make sure he wasn't heard by the group.

**April 30th**

**Tsugi Island**

**Air Field**

The Top 10 of the Tsugi Academy stood an the small runway at the northeast section of the island that was only used once a year. Waiting on the runaway was a private jet that could hold roughly forty people including the staff.

Each of the Top 10 were allowed to bring two friends, which resulted in the entire gang being present for the trip. The only student that was part of the trip that was feeling nervous about being here was a brown haired beauty who went by the name of Holly. Unknown to everyone, Blake had invited her along with one purpose in mind, although this would remain unknown to the group.

The jet was still turning around in the runaway, getting ready to line up for take up after the students boarded.

It had been determined that the Sinnoh Academy had won the tournament between the four Academies that were competing to battle against the Tsugi Top 10, so their destination was Veilstone City. The location of the Sinnoh Academy.

"Can you guys believe that were going to Sinnoh?" Ash asked, looking toward his group of friends as the jet came to a stop in front of them, the door along the side of the aircraft opening top reveal the pilot.

"All aboard!" He shouted, inviting the kids to start entering the jet and deciding where they would sit.

"This is so exciting." Dawn said, nodding in agreement as she and Ash began ascending the staircase into the jet.

"It's not like you're going to be battling anyone Dawn." Drew called out to the bluenette from the ground.

"I'm excited for Ash." She said, placing a kiss on his cheek, getting a grin from the boy.

"Yeah Drew, leave Dawn alone." Ash added as he disappeared into the jet, leaving Dawn to turn back at Drew and stick her tongue out at him before following Ash into the jet.

Inside the jet was a beautiful, the plush seats set up around tables in groups of four with plenty of space in between to recline so that when they became sleepy they were free to get comfortable. Ash quickly claimed a table for Dawn, Drew, May and himself since they had agreed to share a table with them.

Jimmy and Marina had taken their own seating table right across from Ash's table so that they could freely join in on the conversations. Gina, Cynthia and Fiona were seated together as a group, beginning to chat quietly.

Gary had taken a booth for himself, putting in his ear buds as he sat beside the window, waiting for take off. Anthony had also taken a table for himself, but he had invited Mark to come along with him so the two were happily chatting in their own booth.

The last table that had formed included Blake, Brock, Paul and strangely Holly. Blake had invited the girl to sit with them, insisting that she sit next to Brock which she did nervously. Blake could tell that she nervous to be around them, especially Paul who greeted her with a blank stare.

Strangely, Brock hadn't given her his normal approach to just about any other girl, but he instead gave her a kind wave before offering her the window seat which she accepted.

It only took another twenty minutes before the jet took off in the skies, beginning its thirteen hour flight to Sinnoh.

The ride was rather easy going for everyone. Ash's table along with Jimmy and Marina had passed time playing cards which became a heated competition between the boys. Blake had done an excellent job of keeping a conversation going at this table, managing to include Holly no matter what the subject was. And soon enough she began to take part in their discussions freely, even laughing at the lame jokes Brock would crack from time to time in a weak attempt to impress her.

Surprisingly, the flight time pasted quickly, many of them not even noticing the announcement that they were coming in for a landing at the Vielstone airport.

It was late in the afternoon as they left the plane with their luggage, entering the airport where a group of four adults from the Sinnoh Academy was waiting for them. Leading them out of the airport, the Tsugi Top 10 and their companions found themselves inside of two limos that delivered them to the Sinnoh Academy.

**Veilstone City**

**Sinnoh Academy**

The Sinnoh Academy was just as impressive in size as the Tsugi Academy, and when the group arrived at the campus they found that most if not all of the Sinnoh Academy students were practically waiting for them on the campus as they made their way to the actual Academy. They could hear the whispers of the Sinnoh students as they walked through the campus, although they paid no mind to the quiet comments.

"The Tsugi Top 10 is so screwed up."

"I know, there's not a single senior in it."

"Our Top 10 only has seniors in it. Not even the best junior stands a chance against any of them."

The members of the Tsugi Top 10 were well aware of the fact that they had battled against the Sinnoh Academy last year for the right of being the strongest Academy on the globe, and the Tsugi Top 10 had crushed them. Now a fresh set of Seniors had risen to the Top 10 in the Sinnoh Academy, and they're goal was claim the title as the strongest from the Tsugi Academy and show them the strength of Sinnoh which they had easily crushed the year before.

Professor Willow was a rather old man that possessed great knowledge in the field of biology as well as how an ecosystem affects the Pokemon that live in that area. He had been working at the Tsugi Academy for some time before he was requested to become the principal of the Sinnoh Academy.

"Ah, I see. And when will the kids be arriving to my office." He muttered to himself after his secretary gave him a call on his phone, unaware of the fact that the Tsugi Top 10 was present in his office.

"We're right here old man." Blake called out, causing the aged man seated behind his desk which caused him to jump.

"Ah…" He exclaimed, looking up at the group of ten students who were patiently waiting for him to take notice of them. Searching his desk for a pair of glasses, the older gentlemen put on his spectacles which returned his vision which had deteriorated with old age. "When did you get into my office…you know what, don't answer that. What can I do for you?"

"We're from the Tsugi Academy, we're here to beat your Top 10!" Ash declared, getting a grunt from the old more before he snorted. Then he began to laugh for a few moments.

"Well, I see that Spruce's kids only seem to be getting younger." He began as he examined each of them, raising an eyebrow as he studied Gary Oak. "You, what's your name?"

All eyes turned to Gary as Professor Willow pointed at him.

"Gary Oak." He replied, watching as the old man began to stroke his long beard.

"Now that's a name I haven't heard about in a while." Willow muttered to himself. "No matter, starting tomorrow at four o'clock in the afternoon, the first two battles will take place. The battles will be decided at random, so I wish you all of the best of luck. But beware, this year our Top 10 is the strongest one to date."

Once the Tsugi Top 10 left his office, Professor Willow began to search his cluttered room for an old newspaper article from nearly a decade ago. It was a difficult search, but he did find success.

He had preserved this newspaper article because it held a piece of history in it. The headlines throughout the entire paper were all covering the same topic.

'Genius trainer appears in the world of Pokemon!'

'Newest addition to the Oak family surpasses father at the age of eleven!'

'Future World Champion?!'

"So this is Gary Oak." Willow said to himself as he studied the young child that was all over the front page of this newspaper. "I wonder how he's doing after that incident with his father and the Slate family."

**May 1st**

**Sinnoh Academy Compound**

**Battle Arena**

Every student that attended the Sinnoh Academy was present in the Battle Arena to see their strongest trainers take on the Tsugi Top 10, wildly cheering for their representatives.

Even though there was some tension present between the Tsugi Top 10, the treatment they had received throughout the day from the students of the Sinnoh Academy forced all of them to act in unison now that they shared a common enemy. And this one moment in time would be the one and only time they ever did something as a group.

The Tsugi Top 10 extended their hands toward the Sinnoh Top 10 that was standing on the opposite side of the field, silencing the crowd. They then proceed to stick out of their thumbs, turning their hands downward to the ground to give the Sinnoh students a thumbs down. Or in other words, the declaration of war. And Sinnoh would be the battle grounds.


	25. The King of Spades

Part 25

All of the occupants of Sinnoh Academy Battle Arena were focused intently on the large monitor that was mounted on the far wall of the stadium. Twenty different faces were on the screen, being paired off once by one to determine the matches that would take place over the course of the next week.

Once the pairing was complete, the members of each Top 10 began to search for their opponent as the pairs on the screen were moved around to determine that match order. Only two matches out of the ten matches would take place each day.

The Rank of each student appeared next to their pictures, and Ash Ketchum's blood began to boil as he looked at the picture of his opponent. It was a blonde male with far skin and amber eyes with a muffler around his neck. Barry was his name, and next to his picture was Rank 1.

"Aww man, why'd I have to get matched up against someone below Rank 5?" A voice asked out loud, drawing everyone attention. Ash looked to his left, finding that it was his opponent who was speaking so loud. Barry seemed to unimpressed with his opponent. "I was hoping I would get to battling against someone strong...just my luck I guess."

The tension surrounding the group of students on the large field only seemed to increase at Barry's statement.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I'm no pushover!" Ash hollered at the boy, getting his attention now that he recognized Ash as his opponent.

"Oh really, well considering we have the first match, let's see just how strong you are." Barry replied, taking a Poke-ball out of his pocket which he proceeded to enlarge.

Ash's jaw tightened as he realized that he was the first match. The mood setter for this entire event.

"Alright then, let's do it!" Ash shouted as the crowd roared for their Rank 1. The referee moved over to the students, sending everyone but Ash and Barry to the sidelines.

"Come on Ash, you can do this!" Dawn shouted along with May, Drew, Marina and Brock. They had been given some seats near the front of the stands, close to where the Tsugi Top 10 was seated along the sidelines. Unfortunately, their support for Ash earned them some rather intense glares from the Sinnoh students that were seated around them.

"This will be an official one on one Pokemon battle! Trainers, are you ready to begin?" The ref asked, receiving a nod from both Ash and Barry. "Begin!"

"Pikachu, let's win this battle!" Ash said as his partner leaped off his shoulder onto the battle field where it allowed a bit of electricity to crackle from its cheeks, waiting for Barry to release hi Pokemon for battle.

"Empoleon, let's go!" Barry shouted, tossing his Poke-ball into the air to release a large blue penguin Pokemon that quickly attracted the attention of Dawn and Piplup were up in the stands.

'This isn't going to be an easy battle for Ash.' Paul noted as he studied Ash's facial expression. He wore his usual calm smile meaning his mental condition was as good as it could be, and Pikachu was stronger than ever.

"Empoleon, start out with Aqua Jet!" Barry shouted to his partner who gave him a nod before it became enveloped in a torrent of water. Empoleon took off like a bullet toward Pikachu, heading in for a direct charge on the electric type Pokemon.

"Pikachu, dodge it using Agility!" Ash shouted, watching as Pikachu's body began to flicker before it disappeared, narrowly avoiding Empoleon's attack.

Empoleon made a u-turn to search the field for Pikachu, finding that the smaller Pokemon was still in its starting position. The large water type dove in a second time using Aqua Jet, Pikachu escaping its attack once again.

'Hmm, his Pikachu is really fast. A plain Aqua Jet won't hit it at this rate.' Barry said to himself as Empoleon continued to attack, failing to hit Pikachu. "Empoleon, hit the field Ice Beam!"

"Emp!" The large penguin shouted as it broke out of the Aqua Jet before firing a light blue beam all over the field, creating a thick sheet of ice on top of it which successfully cut off Pikachu's use of Agility.

"Now get Pikachu with Aqua Jet!" Barry added, pointing toward the yellow Pokemon that sliding around on top of the ice, unable to maintain its footing.

Empoleon took off like a rocket a Pikachu, closing the distance on the electric mouse in a moments notice.

"Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash called out, but as Pikachu attempted to jump it lost its footing, resulting in it falling flat on its face. Pikachu gave a pained shouted as it was hit by Empoleon which sent it flying high into the air where it was open for another attack.

"Don't let up Empoleon. Get Pikachu while it's in the air!" Barry shouted. Empoleon swerved upward, charging toward Pikachu.

'In the air…' Ash mumbled to himself. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt, full power!"

Empoleon's eyes widen as Pikachu developed an enormous electrical cloak around itself, disappearing inside of the bright light it had produced. Empoleon tried to turn off course to avoid getting caught in the blast, but the radius was too wide for it to escape. Pikachu began to descend down to the field, pushing Empoleon down with it.

"Empoleon!" Barry hollered as the Thunder attack crashed down on the field, obliterating the layer of ice that was on top. The crowd could only stare in awe at the large electrical dome Pikachu had created that had practically covered the entire field.

"Yeah Pikachu!" Ash yelled as leapt into the air, pleased with one of the products of their previous month of training.

Pikachu ended its large scale attack, allowing everyone to see the results of that attack. Empoleon was down on one knee, small electrical currents being seen jumping around its body. If this was a month ago, Pikachu's stamina would've been drained from such and enormous Thunderbolt attack, but from all of that training, Pikachu's stamina had increased ten-fold.

"Grr…I guess I shouldn't take it easy on this guy." Barry muttered, seeing that Ash was indeed no pushover. "Empoleon, shake off that electricity and then use Hydro Pump."

Empoleon straightened up on command before shaking its body to rid itself of the electricity that had been coating its body. Then it looked toward Pikachu, opening up its mouth to unleash a powerful blast of water at the electric type Pokemon.

"Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash shouted. Pikachu jumped to its right, evading the powerful torrent of water.

"Follow through with Aqua Jet!" Barry called out. Empoleon burst forward, racing toward Pikachu who had just landed after dodging the Hydro Pump. Unable to get a solid landing from the ground, Pikachu was hit by the Aqua Jet attack which sent it sailing once again. "Keep attacking!"

Empoleon swerved up again, charging toward Pikachu who was beginning its decent after getting knocking into the air over the field.

"Pikachu, spin!" Ash ordered quickly, seeing that they needed to avoid getting caught in the pace Barry was trying to set. Pikachu began to twirl in mid air, managing to spin around the Aqua Jet to give it a clear landing on the field. "Now counter that Aqua Jet with Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu went down on all fours, charging up an dark yellow electrical cloak around itself before it took off in a dash toward Empoleon who was now gliding just a few feet above the ground making a bee-line toward Pikachu.

"Empoleon, no holding back!" Barry shouted as the two Pokemon neared each other. Empoleon gave a shout before the torrent of water surrounding it tripled in size, enough so that Pikachu only looked like a small yellow dot in comparison.

"Pikachu, don't hold back either!" Ash added, deciding that if Barry wanted a power duel, he was more than ready to accept.

"Pika!" The smaller Pokemon shouted as the halo of electricity became denser before the two of them met. The two of them met with an explosion of steam, casting a quick drizzle all over the stadium before Empoleon was sent flying backward out of the steam cloud. Skidding on its back, Empoleon came a slow stop near Barry, resting on one knee. This time the electrical damage from Pikachu was much more severe to the dual type Pokemon, but Barry's determination did not waver.

"Wow, he's really strong." Barry explained as he hunched over, tightening both his fists which he proceeded to throw in the air excitedly. "Alright! Empoleon we found us some awesome opponents, let's show them just how strong we really are!"

"Empoleon." The penguin grunted before it rose to both feet as the steam finished disappearing, revealing Pikachu who was suffering from the recoil damage of using Volt Tackle.

'Crud, the full power Volt Tackle has Pikachu stuck in a pinch at the moment.' Ash noted, seeing that his partner wouldn't be able to move for a short period of time.

"Let's show them our strongest attack! Use Aqua Jet and Drill Peck!" Barry shouted, watching Empoleon as water erupted around it before it took off toward Pikachu. As it raced across the field, Empoleon's beck became white in color before a strong spin was placed on the Aqua Jet, turning it into a raging whirlpool with a Drill Peak waiting at the center.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted as Empoleon crashed into it, much to the approval of the crowd who knew this move to be the finisher of Barry's battles.

"Did you see that?" Paul asked Blake who was seated beside him, receiving a nod the boy.

"Yeah, I'm surprised Pikachu managed to do something as small as that after using Volt Tackle." Blake said in agreement.

'Using Thunderbolt on Empoleon's beak on the last second to reduce the power of the impact. Not bad Pikachu. Guess Ashy-boy really is going to be my biggest threat until the end of the school year.' Gary said to himself, impressed with what Ash had displayed with Pikachu so far.

"Nice Empoleon!" Barry shouted as his Pokemon returning their side of the field, waiting for the ref to check on Pikachu who was still resting on its back.

"Pi…" Pikachu said as it rose up from the ground, a large bruise on its stomach where it had taken a direct hit from the Drill Peck.

"Good work Pikachu!" Ash shouted, praising his partner for the quick defense it had used to soften the Drill Peck. "Your strongest attack is pretty lame!"

"Err…then we'll just hit you with it again! Go for it Empoleon!" Barry roared, pointing toward Pikachu who had regained its mobility.

"Pikachu, stop it with Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled, concluding that if Pikachu could soften the attack with a small electrical shock, a more powerful one would finish the job.

"Heh heh, big mistake." Barry said as Pikachu unleashed a large bolt of electricity toward the approaching Empoleon, aiming for its beak once again. But this time when the electricity hit its beak, Empoleon increased the speed of the spin on the Drill Peck which diverted the electricity into the Aqua Jet, boosting the strength of its own attack.

Even though there was a significant boost in the power of the Aqua Jet, everyone could see that this method was a double edged sword because Empoleon was taking a some heavy damage as it traveled toward Pikachu.

"Dodge it Pikachu!" Ash shouted, realizing that they wouldn't be able to hold back Empoleon's attack. Pikachu leapt high into the air, leaving the path of the super enhanced Aqua Jet. Ash let out a heavy sigh of relief when Pikachu escaped the attack. Empoleon's attack was leaving a heavy indentation on the field as it glided above the rocky field. If Pikachu was hit with that kind of power, the battle would've been over.

"Empoleon, while you can still maintain the Aqua Jet, finish off Pikachu!"

Empoleon turned around, charging toward Pikachu with tight jaws as it did its best to ignore the heavy amount of damage it had taken already. It had to take down Pikachu with the next hit or else it would collapse from the massive electrical damage it had taken on throughout the match.

"Pikachu, let's counter this attack with Thunderbolt and Iron Tail!"

Pikachu focused all of the electricity it could gather into its glowing tail, producing a dark yellow cloak before it looked toward Empoleon who was charging in. Empoleon smirked as it neared Pikachu, thinking it was going to land its finishing attack, but Pikachu disappeared from sight at the last possible second.

The crowd watched as Pikachu floated above Empoleon, performing a forward flip while extending its tail which left a streak of yellow light before it hit Empoleon. A vertical bolt of electricity rushed up to the ceiling, while Empoleon took a brutal shocking from the attack. Even though it had taken such a strong attack, Empoleon would've attempted one last desperate attack on Pikachu, if Pikachu did land the finishing Iron Tail which sent Empoleon crashing down into the field.

Pikachu bounced off of Empoleon, landing on its side where it remained for a few moments before it weakly rose its feet, drawing some shallow breaths as proof that most if not all of its stamina had been given up for the series of powerful electric type attacks it had been firing.

The ref ran onto the field to Empoleon, checking to see its condition before he glanced at Pikachu to make sure it hadn't fainted.

"Empoleon is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner. The battle goes to Ash Ketchum!" The ref shouted in a rather sullen manner as Ash ran onto the field to scoop up Pikachu before it fell again, thanking it for all of the effort it had put forth during the battle.

The Sinnoh students had been silenced when their Rank 1 was defeated. And not by another Rank 1, or even a Rank 2, but someone who was five Ranks lower.

Was this the power of the Tsugi Academy?

"Listen up!" Blake shouted at the crowd of students in the stands, his voice echoing in the silence. "Take a good, long list at this."

Blake motioned to the battlefield where Barry, the strongest trainer of the Sinnoh Academy was resting beside his Empoleon, shocked that he had been beaten by someone that in terms of Ranking, should've been weaker than him.

"This is the strength of the Tsugi Academy. We are the strongest!"

Blake's declaration resulted in an uproar from the crowd, riling them up in the hope that the rest of their Top 1o would crush the Tsugi students.

Ash's battle was only the beginning. He had managed to set the perfect mood for the rest of the Top 10 who energetically battled as the days went by. One by one, the Sinnoh Top 10 fell to their knees before the Tsugi Top 10, completely astonished by the huge gap in strength there was between them.

It was almost scary how strong the Tsugi students were. And that left one question of the mind of all the Sinnoh students. How could students younger than them be so strong?

**May 5th**

**Pokemon Center**

Gary and Gina quietly sat in the empty lunch room of the cafeteria. Gary was munching on a bright red apple while Gina was only leering at him which Gary ignored with ease.

"How could you take Rank 1 from me?" Gina asked him , folding her arms in front of her chest. She had refused to talk to Gary for all of April, but now that they were stuck in a foreign Academy, she had no choice but to talk him.

"Look, I apologized already. But Blake is on the move, and I can't afford for him to screw everything up before graduation. Once this year is over you can Rank 1 back. I don't really care for it anyway."

"Couldn't you have at least given me a warning before challenging me suddenly?" She asked.

"Sorry, but it was unexpected for me as well. That's why I called you here." Gary began. "I get the feeling Blake is starting to in list some Seniors to correct the Ranking System before the end of June. He's been hanging around Brock for an entire month now, and I get the feeling Blake has something up his sleeve, so I want you to check out Brock."

"And why should I do this for you?" Gina asked, placing her elbows on the table, leaning forward a bit.

"Because I'll return Rank 1 to you the moment summer vacation starts." Gary replied.

"And how do I know you're not lying?"

"You don't, but what we can do is a make a deal. You hold up your end and I'll hold up my end."

Gina leaned back in her seat once again, thinking about his offer before she gave Gary a nod.

"Alright then, what should I be looking for when I'm around Brock?" Gina asked.

"Anything out of the ordinary. I know he's aspiring to be a Pokemon Breeder, so the biggest thing to look out for would a Pokemon that is abnormally strong for someone who is focusing on becoming a Breeder." Gary explained, receiving a nod from Gina.

**Sinnoh Complex**

Gina quietly followed Brock from a distance, smiling to herself as she realized the easiest way to find out if Brock was part of some sort of scheme Blake was planning was to wait until he got into a conversation with Holly.

Brock was a calm, cool, level-headed guy who was very intellectual when it came to raising from Pokemon from a young age. But none of this applied whenever he was around Holly. He was completely different person. And Gina decided that she would use this against him.

Brock was currently tailing Holly who had been exploring the Sinnoh Academy to see if she could learn the building before their time in the foreign Academy was up. He had been pursuing her for most of the afternoon, and Brock was ashamed of himself for acting like a stalker, but he just couldn't muster up the courage to ask Holly if he could join her.

He couldn't explain what was different about Holly compared to the many, many girls had spoken with throughout his life. But whenever he was around her, he would stumble over his own words, and his heart would race.

As Brock made his way toward the back of the building where Holly went, he heard a gasp which gained his attention. Rounding the corner to see what had happened, Brock spotted an unconscious Holly being hoisted onto the shoulder of a Shiftry which proceeded to take off in a dash toward the wall of the complex.

"Hey!" Brock shouted, beginning to pursue the Pokemon, but he soon discovered just how much faster Shiftry was compared to himself. "Holly!"

Watching the Pokemon leap over the tall wall that bordered the entire compound, Brock could only look toward the nearest gate to give chase.

* * *

><p>"Good job Shiftry." Gina said, greeting her Pokemon as it landed beside her in the small clearing she had been waiting. Holly rested on the shoulder of the grass type Pokemon, unconscious from its usage of Stun Spore on her. "Did you make sure Brock saw you take Holly?"<p>

"Shift." It replied, giving her a nod of confirmation.

"Nice. Now all we do is wait." Gina said to herself. And wait they did. It took a few minutes, but finally Brock stumbled into the clearing, quickly spotting Holly resting on the grassy plain behind Gina and Shiftry.

"I had a feeling it was your Shiftry Gina." Brock said, pointing toward the girl who only shrugged. "Why would you of all people kidnap Holly!?"

"To be honest, I'm just following orders." Holly mumbled.

'What does Holly have to do with any of this?' Brock asked himself as he stared at the sleeping girl. Whatever her part was in Gina's plan, his first priority was saving Holly. Dashing toward Holly, Brock took out the only Poke-ball he had at the moment while Shiftry stepped in his path. The dual type Pokemon thrusted both of its hands forward, sending a strong gust of wind toward Brock who leaped to left to escape getting caught in the wind before he hurled the Poke-ball he held at the Shiftry's feet.

Shiftry and Gina were forced to jump away as the Poke-ball opened up, releasing a small purple Pokemon that lashed out at both them as it took shape.

"Croa…" It croaked, looking toward Shiftry while Brock's gaze was directed at Gina.

"Shiftry, use Shadow Ball!" Gina said quickly to start their battle.

"Croagunk, counter with Mud Bomb!" Brock fired back.

Both Pokemon gathered the components needed for their attacks before firing, the two attacks exploding when they met which created a cloud of black smoke.

"Shiftry, get it with X-Scissors!"

Shiftry burst out of the cloud, raising its hands to attack Croagunk with a chopping attack, but the smaller Pokemon leaped backward without a command to avoid taking the first hit. But this didn't stop Shiftry who pursued the surprisingly agile Pokemon, swinging its arms around like two swords while Croagunk managed to escape each and every attack without being touched.

"Nice Croagunk, keep it up!" Brock shouted, surprised with the fact that his Croagunk was actually dodging all of Shiftry's attacks, although their difference in size gave Croagunk a huge advantage when it came to evading the attacks. 'All of that training we did with Blake really paid off! But just defense alone won't get us anywhere.'

Croagunk leaped over a horizontal attack from Shiftry, landing on the back of the larger Pokemon where it hung onto the long white mane of the Pokemon to give Brock some time to formulate a plan.

"Croagunk, get it with your Poison Jab!" Brock called out, seeing this opportunity to put down some major damage on Shiftry.

Croagunk raised one arm, its hand gaining a dark purple glow before it proceeded to strike Shiftry's back which gained a pained shout from the Pokemon. Shiftry whirled around, trying to shake Croagunk off of it, but the smaller poison type refused to release its hold on Shiftry although it was unable to land any hits as it was shaken about.

'Grr, even though he's supposed to be a lot weaker than me, he's putting up a good fight.' Gina noted, deciding that it was time she get serious to avoid anything unnecessary from happening. "Shiftry, use Whirlwind on yourself to knock off Croagunk!"

"Shift-try!" It roared as a vertical wind tunnel formed around it, damaging both Shiftry and Croagunk. Croagunk, being the smaller Pokemon, was blown up into the air by the high powered winds before it found Shiftry in the air next to it, its arms raised and poised to attack.

"Croagunk, look out!" Brock shouted, but Croagunk only had the time to look up at Shiftry's blades before it dropped its arms down on Croagunk. There was a semi-loud slicing sound before Croagunk was sent hurtling toward the ground. Unable to roll in the air, Croagunk hit the ground on its back with a hard thud. "Croagunk, are you okay?"

"Shiftry, don't let up. Get it with Dark Pulse!" Gina shouted.

Brock could only watch as Croagunk tried to stand up before it was hammered to the ground again by the dark sphere Shiftry had fired at it.

"Croagunk, dodge the next one and then counter the rest with Mud Bomb!" Brock yelled, seeing that the battle would become one-sided unless he did something quick.

Croagunk jumped out of the path of the next Dark Pulse before firing a ball of condensed mud at Shiftry to block the next Dark Pulse. While this did successfully stop Croagunk for taking any more damage, both Brock and Gina could see the difference in power as Shiftry's attacks continued to get closer and closer to Croagunk despite its efforts.

"Croagunk, get out of the way!" Brock hollered, seeing that the next attack would surely hit Croagunk unless it moved. Before the small poison type could escape, it was caught by the Dark Pulse which knocked it down before Shiftry showered it with attacks. Croagunk could only shout in pain as it was beaten and battered by Shiftry who relentlessly attack. "Croagunk!"

"Alright Shiftry, I believe that's enough." Gina said after about thirty seconds, ending Shiftry's assault on Croagunk, revealing the heavily bruised Pokemon to Brock.

"Ah, Croagunk!" Brock shouted, rushing over to the side of his Pokemon who was resting on its stomach. As he kneeled down beside it, Brock heard it give off a weak groan before it slowly rose up.

Once Croagunk was on his feet, Brock could only stare in amazement as it refused to give despite its knees that were threatening to buckle. Croagunk was definitely doing its best to match the determination Brock had to save Holly, only its goal was to defeat Shiftry who it recognized as one of the strongest Pokemon in the Tsugi Academy. Placing a hand on Croagunk's head as a sign that he understood how Croagunk was feeling at the moment, Brock gave it a nod when it looked toward him.

"Let's show them what we've got Croagunk." Brock stated. There was a moment of silence before Brock's eyes snapped open which gained a frightened gasp from Gina. A pair of piercing brown eyes were giving her a hard stare, but before she could credit Brock for having the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen, the two of them were bathed in a white light from Croagunk.

There was a low groan from Croagunk as it became much taller beside Brock.

'It's evolving!' Gina exclaimed.

Brock smiled as the white light surrounding his partner Pokemon faded away, revealing Croagunk's evolved form which Brock easily identified as Toxicroak.

"Tox!" It said, flexing its new more muscular body a bit. It was still experiencing the damage Shiftry had caused, but with its new form, Toxicroak's stamina and endurance had reached new heights, allowing it to take the damage much better than it had been in its previous form.

Gina was still surprised by the sudden evolution that had taken place, giving Toxicroak time to launching a sphere of purple slime at Shiftry which it barely dodged. Gina was snapped out of her daze by this, her focus returning to the battle.

"Just because your puny Croagunk evolved doesn't mean you have a chance of beating me." Gina said, pointing at Toxicroak as Holly began to stir. "Shiftry, let's wrap this up. Use Sunny Day!"

"Toxicroak, use Bulk Up." Brock said as he rose up, stepping back to give Toxicroak some space flex is muscles, building its attacks and defense power as Shiftry's Sunny Day took effect. "Now let's attack with Poison Jab!"

"Alright Shiftry, use X-Scissors!" Gina yelled, beginning to high paced exchange between the two Pokemon that left Gina speechless.

Toxicroak ducked below Shiftry's attack before throwing a punch for Shiftry's body which the grass type escaped with a fast side step. But Toxicroak used a quick side step as well to pursue Shiftry, firing another punch at Shiftry which it parried away with its wrist. Shiftry then threw out a chop at Toxicroak's shoulder which it avoided with a quick hop backward.

Shiftry pursued, using another horizontal attack on Toxicroak, but this time the poison type jumped over Shiftry performing a corkscrew before landing directly behind it. Seeing this opportunity, Toxicroak landing a hard blow to Shiftry's back which caused the entire Pokemon to arch its body with hit. Shiftry gave an angry howl before it whirled around with another attack that was parallel to the ground, this time catching Toxicroak's neck with the attack.

Toxicroak was actually keeping up with Shiftry. In fact, the exchange of blows was completely even. Gina had thought that there wasn't a single Senior in the Tsugi Academy that was capable of battling her on an even level, but she was sorrowfully mistaken.

Holly had woken up during the intense battle between the two Pokemon, her memory of what had taken place when Shiftry appeared returning to her before she realized that Gina must have been behind all of this. But as she tried to rise up, Holly discovered that her entire body was numb, and nothing was under her control. She could barely move, but her struggle had attracted the attention of the other two trainers that were battling.

"You're not going anywhere missy." Gina said to Holly since there was now way she would be able to move after breathing in Shiftry's Stun Spore.

"Don't worry Holly, I'm here to protect you!" Brock called out to her, looking toward Holly. When Holly made eye contact with Brock, she found herself becoming mesmerized by his intense gaze. "I'll be there soon!"

"Sorry to say, but that's not going to happen!" Gina declared. "Shiftry, let's deliver the finishing blow, use Aerial Ace!"

Leaf Storm had always been Shiftry's finisher during Gina's Freshman and Sophomore year, but throughout her Junior year many people had managed to effectively counter, dodge or protect themselves from this attack. This forced Gina and Shiftry to develop a new finishing move, one that was more reliable without the drawbacks that came with using Leaf Storm. And Aerial Ace became the answer.

Toxicroak threw out a high kick at Shiftry, but its legs harmlessly passed through its torso as Shiftry blurred out of sight. Shiftry's speed reached its peak as it appeared a good distance behind Toxicroak where it took on step forward. And that was all it needed.

With that one step, Shiftry covered the distance between itself and Toxicroak. And then some. Toxicroak had barely turned around before Shiftry passed through it, a loud slicing sound resounding through the entire clearing. Toxicroak let out a pained gasp before its knees buckled under its weight.

'That speed is ridicules.' Brock exclaimed, as Toxicroak fell to the ground. He was astonished by the speed Shiftry had just displayed.

Gina let out a sigh of relief, glad this battle was over. Even though her Rank wasn't at stake, she couldn't help but feel threatened knowing that Brock could actually battle with her on an even playing field. Brock was officially someone she would have to look out for, especially since he was senior. That meant he would be desperately trying to grab a Rank in the Top 10 before he graduated.

"Now if you don't mind telling me, what is Blake planning to do with you?" Gina asked as she and Shiftry approached him, leaving Holly to rest on her back, unable to watch them.

If it wasn't for Shiftry, Brock would've certainly tried to overpower Gina. But he would get his butt kicked by Shiftry if he tried anything like this. If only there was way to get rid of Shiftry, he was sure he could escape with Holly. Then a cackle began to sound through the clearing as the answer to Brock's pleas made its presence known.

"Gallade, take down Shiftry with Poison Jab!" A voice shouted followed by a white blur bursting out of the bushes, making a straight charge toward Shiftry. The grass type Pokemon didn't even had time to react before it was struck in the gut by the blur, taking down the last of its health.

Shiftry dropped to the ground, unable to continue assisting Gina which was Brock's cue to become active. Returning Toxicroak to Poke-ball with great haste, Brock pushed past Gina which gained a shout from her as she fell over. Brock raced over to Holly, kneeling down beside her to see if she was alright. Based on how she was struggling to move, Brock could assume that she had inhaled Stun Spore for her entire body to be numb, meaning he would have to carry her.

Acting quickly, Brock scooped her up from the ground in his arms before taking off in a dash into the woods, leaving Gina to groan angrily at the fact that she had failed. And the white blur that had defeated Shiftry had disappeared into the bushes, leaving Gina without an excuse for her failure.

'Just as I thought Brock, I knew there was more to you than what means the eye.' Blake said to himself, watching from underneath the thick brush that surrounded the area.

'I see, so not only is Ashy-boy a problem. But now I have to look out for Brock too.' Gary noted, observing from one the trees that bordered the clearing, hidden under the cloak of his Umbreon's Psychic attack. 'I never thought Brock would be harboring that much skill, but nothing will stop me at this point. Although, if I remove Brock now, I highly doubt Blake will be able to recover from a hit like that.'

**May 5th – Night**

**Veilstone City**

The Tsugi Top 10 were all seated around a large table in a four star restaurant along with all the friends they had invited. It was a treat for their ten to zero victory over the Sinnoh Top 10 which meant the Tsugi Academy would be the known as the number on Academy around the world for another year.

The mood around the table was very lively as everyone happily ate while relating how they felt during each of their battles. The group was well aware of the fact this would be the last time this year that they would be able to get along with each other under such peaceful conditions, so they were doing their best to enjoy it.

Brock and Holly were seated next to each other, quietly eating among their friends. The two of them were invited guests, so they didn't expect to be the center of attention, but Brock was still worried about her. Nurse Joy had given her some aroma therapy to cure the effects of the Stun Spore, but Holly still couldn't believe that she was being targeted by Gina.

"Hey Holly, are you feeling better?" Brock asked, just to check with the girl that she was fine after what had taken place earlier in the afternoon.

"Yeah." She replied after a short pause, giving a nod and a small reassuring smile.

"That's good." Brock went on before he eyed the one hand Holly had resting on the table. It was trembling. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Why do you ask?" Holly asked since Brock was now asking her the same question a second time.

"Because your hand is shaking. Are you sure the Stun Spore is completely out of your system?" Brock asked, receiving no response from Holly for a few moments before she shrugged.

"Maybe I should get some fresh air right now to make sure." Holly said, rising from her seat.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Brock asked hopefully.

"Thanks, but no thanks Brock. I would prefer to be alone right now." Holly said, turning down his offer. Brock sighed as she left, wondering why Holly had suddenly distanced herself from him since her treatment at the Pokemon Center.

He had spent the past week becoming good friends with Holly, but then she suddenly started pushing him away. Looking down the table, Brock took a look at each of his friends. All of them had girlfriends with the exception of Paul, but he was out of the question when it came to dating.

Brock couldn't deny that he was jealous of each of them. All of their girlfriends were not only supportive of them, but they grew stronger alongside them. Drew and May were rising Coordinators that would surely remain together no matter the circumstances. Ash and Dawn may have different goals and styles, but the two of them influenced the others style in so many positive ways that their growth never stopped when they worked together. Similar to Ash and Dawn, Jimmy and Marina had different goals, but the two of them never seized to help the other improve even though their preferences and choices differed.

Brock longed to have someone like that by his side.

"Hey Brock." Ash called out to him after watching him get shot down by Holly. "Go after her."

Setting down the fork he had been fiddling with on the table, Brock gave Ash a nod that was brimming with confidence. He was going to find Holly and see why she had been pushing him away. He was more than willing to go several extra miles if it meant getting closer to Holly. Rushing out the front doors of the restaurant in the empty city streets, Brock looked both ways, discovering that Holly was no where in sight.

"Holly!" Brock shouted, hoping the brown haired beauty would answer his call. Instead of her calm voice, Brock heard a panicked shriek. "Holly!"

Brock took off in the direction of the scream which was just one block down from his current location. Sprinting down the side walk, Brock could only hope that he would make it in time, but as he began to cross the street, a pair of blue ovals opened on the side walk on the other side of the street. Then Brock felt his left leg lock up which resulted in him falling over.

'What the…' Brock mumbled, discovering that his left leg was long longer under his command. It was glued to the street, preventing him moving. 'Why can't I move!?'

The rumble of a car engine gained Brock's attention, causing his heart rate to sky rocket. All he saw was two headlights barreling toward him.

* * *

><p>Inside the restaurant where everyone had been eating, the group had just finished their meals, now wearing content smiles when a loud crash startled everyone.<p>

"What was that?" Ash asked out loud.

"I came from outside!" Paul said, jumping up from his seat as did everyone else that was around the table to check out what had happened.

Everyone rushed out of the building building, unaware of the fact that Gary and Gina were no where to be found within the group or inside the restaurant.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 25. Wow.<strong>

**Was anyone expecting that curveball? **Did I catch anyone off guard? **If I did, please tell me!**

**This has got to be the chapter I've worked the hardest on to date since the School Spirit Week Arc. Not only is it bigger than normal, but I put in a ton of time editing this chapter. It's super important to the plot, not to mention I actually had two battles in this chapter which I think are some of my best as well.**

**So please review guys, I'd really like some feedback on this chapter. :D**


	26. Setting the Table for the Game

**Part 26**

Everyone that had been in the restaurant including other customers and staff had left the building in a hurry, spotting the scene of the crash just a small distance up the street. They could see a car sticking out of the corner of a building, the bricks of the outer wall of the building being scattered all over the street while a body lay sprawled out in the street, face down. Some people went to investigate the car while others had gone to the body to try and identify the person.

"Someone call a hospital!" Jimmy shouted as they spotted the bruised and battered person resting on the cold cement.

"Come on guys, let's flip him over and see who it is. They need help." Ash said as they neared the body, kneeling down beside the person.

"Wait!" Paul barked at Ash who had just placed his hands on the body. Paul was no longer looking at any of them, his stare was on his feet and his hands were in balled up into tight fists. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Why not Paul, he needs help right now." Ash protested, carefully turning the person onto their side to see their face which resulted in Ash becoming frozen as if he were statue. The group surrounding the body could only stare in disbelief for a moment, many of them trying to believe that their eyes were fooling them. But reality lay before them.

"B…Brock!" May muttered in a whisper before she found Drew arms around her. Initially she believed that he was trying to comfort her as tears rolled down her cheeks, but May soon realized that Drew was looking for comfort as well.

Marina threw herself into Jimmy's chest, feeling his arms wrap around her body. He was trying to keep a level head, but this proved to be one of the most difficult challenges he had ever faced as he struggled to swallow the huge lump that had formed in his throat. Dawn had dropped to her knees beside Ash, reaching out toward him, but the boy rose up abruptly, looking up toward the dark skies above. He let out a loud scream, trying to vent the shock, the anger, the sadness. But none of it went away.

In a flash all of the puzzle pieces fit together, and Ash concluded that the bastard behind the wheel of the car that was now protruding from the building was responsible for this. Everyone's eyes were on Ash as he made his way over the car, snatching one of the bricks from the ground as he made his way over the car. When everyone caught sight of the makeshift projectile Ash held, they all began to back away from the car where he chucked the brick into the window of the front door.

There were several gasps as the window shattered, giving Ash access to the car. Ash silently pushed his hand through the remains of the window, not even grimacing at the cuts he received before he unlocked the door from the front door. He then tore open the door to search the car for the driver. But no one was present inside.

"Who!" Ash growled at the group, shifting his gaze to the people behind him. "Who did this to Brock!?"

Ash bent over, picking up another brick this time which he began to beat the frame of the car with, leaving a dent with each hit. With each hit, Ash would yell at the crowd, expecting them to answer his calls. Smashing in the rest of the windows, Ash picked up another set of the bricks, continuing to beat away at the car as he were hitting the owner as punishment for their actions.

"Ash, enough!" Paul shouted at him, rushing over to the enraged boy who lashed out at him with one of the bricks he held. Paul took a hit to the jaw which knocked him down to his side with a heavy grunt. Paul's pain brought Ash back to his senses as he realized he had hit someone, leaving him to drop to his knees as he begged Paul for forgiveness.

Holly came rushing into the intersection followed by Gina, the two of them appearing to be incredibly distraught at the sound of a car crash. Holly had rushed straight over to see what had happened, but Gina appeared to be struggling to get a grasp on what had taken place. As if she unintentionally had something to do with Brock's great misfortune.

The blare of sirens rang out as two ambulances came rushing onto the scene, their red lights flashing in the darkness of the street.

**Veilstone Hospital**

Fortunately, a hospital was close to the scene of the accident which resulted in Brock receiving treatment in record time the moment they arrived.

Unfortunately for the Tsugi Top 10, all of them had been taken to the hospital with Brock because there was only one adult with them as a chaperone. And he certainly wasn't going to let any of them travel alone after this incident. The Tsugi students were scattered throughout the large lobby, Brock's friends seated together as a group. although Ash had singled himself out after apologizing grieving a group while Ash had singled himself out of the group after apologizing profusely to Paul.

"Ash?" A soft voice called out to the boy that was seated on the steps in front of the hospital, getting his attention. Looking back, Ash spotted his blue haired girlfriend, taking note that her makeup had been running because of her tears, although it didn't seem to bother her at all.

"Oh…Dawn." Ash said, returning his gaze to the dark road out in front of him.

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked, approaching him to take a seat beside him on the stairs.

"…Yeah." Ash said after a pause.

"Oh really, because you don't look like it." Dawn commented as she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I just can't get over what happened to Brock or the fact that I actually hit Paul like that." Ash explained with a heavy sigh. "I really need to learn how to control my anger."

"Ash, Paul already forgave you." Dawn said sternly, a bit tired of seeing Ash acting like this. She hated seeing Ash withdraw himself as if he were a Squirtle. "But I think you've got the wrong idea Ash. While I don't like seeing you so angry, it also proves how much you care about Brock and all your friends. I think it's sweet."

Ash looked toward Dawn, keeping his body still to make sure her head didn't slide of his shoulder, an expression of confusion on his face.

"Really Dawn?"

"Yes Ash." She replied, raising her head to place a soft reassuring kiss on his a cheek as a reminder that she would always be there for him. The two of them remained on the steps, beginning to talk about trivial matters to pass time and help Ash calm down. Eventually Dawn fell asleep on Ash's shoulder, leaving him in the silence to think about her words when she first approached him.

Unknown to the happy couple, a brown haired male had been watching them from within the hospital lobby, anger evident in his eyes.

'Ash Ketchum…' David muttered, grinding his teeth.

'Well, isn't this interesting.' Blake said to himself as a smirk formed on his face, taking note of the harsh stare David was directing at Ash and Dawn who were outside.

* * *

><p>It was about four in the morning when the Tsugi Top 10 finally returned to the Sinnoh Academy. Brock had been taken straight to the emergency room where he received a full treatment from multiple Chansey's who repaired what damage they could to reduce the chances of a serious complication. After that Brock was left in intensive care, unable to receive visits at the time. There were many protests when the chaperone tried to get the group to leave the building and return to the Academy, but eventually things settled down.<p>

Ash was the biggest problem. He had begrudgingly left the hospital, practically being dragged out by his companions. He had made a scene in front of quite a few people in the dead of the night, and he was more than willing to fight if it meant staying, but Dawn had managed to talk him into returning to the Academy with them.

Upon returning to the Academy, everyone made their way to their room where most of them instantly feel asleep. All of them accept Ash. He couldn't sleep knowing that there was someone out there responsible for putting one of his dearest friends in intensive car. His body just refused to relax.

Instead of remaining in his room, Ash went outside for a walk.

**May 6th – Morning**

Ash sat alone on a bench with bloodshot eyes and bags under his eyes. He hadn't caught a wink of sleep last night. His last words to Brock rung in his head, and it was pushing him to a dangerous point.

_"Brock…go after her!"_

While Ash may not have been the most observant person, he had taken note of Dawn who had been closely watching Brock interactions with Holly. Then she sat down with Ash one afternoon and told him that Brock was clearly in love with Holly. Ash, wanting to support his friend as best he could, decided to encourage Brock that night after Holly had shot him down. But now Ash was beginning to wonder that if he hadn't told Brock to go after her, maybe that accident wouldn't that happen.

Was all of this his fault?

* * *

><p>"David!" Blake called out to the sophomore which caused him to jump from the unexpected shout. David whirled around on his heels to face Blake, giving him a questioning glance.<p>

"What do you want?" He asked in return, receiving a stoic stare from Blake.

"I don't have much time so I'll get straight down to the point. You like Dawn, don't you?" Blake asked, waiting for David to prove that his hunch was true.

"How do you know that?" He shot back, raising an eyebrow at Blake who cackled.

"And you're jealous of Ash for taking her." Blake went on, watching as David's eyes widened as Blake made light of one of his most well kept secrets. "It's funny how similar you are to an acquaintance of mine who passed away recently."

"So why does any of that matter to you?" David asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I need you in order to advance to the finale." Blake said with his usual, getting a look of confusion from David.

"Why should I help you?" David asked skeptically.

"Because I can help you get Dawn."

**May 8th**

**Veilstone Hospital**

**Lobby**

It had been two very long days for Brock's closest friends as they painstakingly waiting for the news on how Brock was doing. Since they had no classes to attend while they were at the Sinnoh Academy, the group had the ability to spend the entire day at the hospital in the lobby, waiting for an update.

Most of the time was passed by the group relating all of the times they had spent with Brock, sharing the laughs they had with Brock to the tears they may have shed alongside him. Ash was the biggest contributor to these discussions, and a certain brown haired female had been listening to these conversations intently, although she didn't have much to share.

"I remember during the tournament back in November, Brock was so busy trying to impress Holly that he didn't pay attention to the battle and lost after Fiona ordered the first attack." Jimmy said with a laugh, recalling how Brock and Croagunk had been knocked off the field by Feraligatr's Hydro Pump. The entire group which consisted of Ash, Dawn, Jimmy, Marina, Drew, May, Paul and Holly let out a laugh together before all eyes went to Holly.

"You know, Brock has been acting really funny ever since he met you during his junior year Holly." Ash noted, looking toward Holly who tilted her head, unsure of what that meant.

"Yeah, he has been." Dawn added with a nod. "He stopped going after every girl he saw. In fact, all he could think about was you."

Everyone nodded in agreement as Holly looked down.

"He really likes you Holly. I've never seen him act this way before." Ash commented, showing the minuscule bit of romantic knowledge he had.

It was then everyone heard a sniffle come from Holly.

"Holly, are you okay?" May asked, approaching the girl who could no longer hold back the emotions she had been burying. She hiccuped followed by a sob.

"Brock got into this accident because of me." She exclaimed which caused Ash to perk up, focusing on Holly intently now. "I left the restaurant to get some fresh air. I decided to take a quick walk around the block, but as I rounded the corner of the street, someone grabbed me and I panicked."

Holly took a few moments to steady her breathes.

"Then I heard Brock calling for me so I screamed. I was sure he would come and find me, but he never showed up. Then there was a loud crash and the person that was holding me let go." She went on. "I rushed out of the alleyway I was in and I found all of you standing on the street around Brock. If I hadn't screamed, I'm sure Brock wouldn't have chased me only to get hit by a car. It's alright if you guys hate me…I understand."

Everyone remained quiet for a moment, allowing Holly's story to settle into their minds. Ash was thinking even harder than he normally would, the proof being the expression he wore that made him look as if he were constipated.

"No…you're wrong Holly. It's not your fault." Ash began, trying to formulate the best words he could to make sure he comforted her instead of making it worse by something stupid unintentionally. "You did the sensible thing…a cry for help. And Brock did what he would always do. He rushed to the damsel in distress. But he got hurt, and never made it there…"

Everyone watched raised their eyebrows at Ash.

"I thought it was my fault Brock was hit by that car, but it was a time and unforeseen occurrence…and we couldn't hate you Holly. Not when we can see how much you care about Brock." Ash said, making eye contact with Holly who was at a lost for words as well as Dawn. Ash had taken her words of comfort for him, and used them to help someone else. "It's sweet."

"He's right Holly." Dawn added. "When I first met Brock, I never thought he would settle for one girl, but you've completely monopolized Brock in that department. I'm really happy for him, and I was hoping that-that girl would return his feelings. You have no idea how happy I am to see you crying for Brock like this."

Holly found herself receiving several warm smiles from everyone but Paul who only gave her a nod of acknowledgment.

"You guys think I like Brock?" Holly asked, looking around at the group.

"Don't you?" Drew inquired.

"Well…I'm not really sure." Holly began. "I never really talked to Brock before until the time he asked me to dance with him at the Winter Dance. But since I was invited onto this trip, I really got to know Brock. And he's really is an awesome guy."

"So you like him." Drew finished, getting a shrug from Holly in reply.

"I really don't know. He's gone to so many extremes for me already that I didn't know whether or not I could return his feelings properly." Holly explained. "I've never had a guy take on someone from the Top 10 to save me, or get hit by a car searching for me."

"There's no reason to be afraid Holly." Dawn chimed in. "Ash has too much love to give, and at first I was worried whether or not I could match that, but I discovered that being in a relationship isn't about making sure everything is split fifty-fifty. No one is perfect so that never works out, but when I can't do my entire share, Ash is always willing to go the extra mile, and I would do the same for him."

Ash thanked Dawn with a kiss on the cheek, causing the bluenette to blush before he returned his gaze to Holly.

"So please Holly, if you really do like Brock, tell him how you feel." Ash was practically pleading with her now. Brock was one of his closest friends, and Ash wanted to see him happy.

Holly sat in silence for a few moments before she wiped away her tears, giving the group a small smile.

"I sure will." She said, receiving a cheer from the group before the double doors from the intensive care area. There stood the doctor that had told them three days ago that Brock would need to be placed in intensive care if he wanted to live.

Everyone stood up abruptly, waiting to hear the news about their friend.

"I know it's been two days since I last gave words to all of you, and I tell you this. He's going to live." The doctor explained, getting a loud shout of thanks from Ash and Holly. "And it is possible from him to attain the physical fitness he had before, but it could take sometime. The Chansey team managed to mend the fractured ribs as well as his hip bone, but for him to achieve his previous physical ability, he'll have to spend a lot of time in rehabilitation and receive treatment from a Chansey on a daily basis."

"Is he awake right now?" Holly asked, looking toward the doctor who sighed.

"No, he's still out cold. He must still be recovering from the shock as well as the concussion he received. Right now we're still trying to determine if he is going to fall into a coma." The doctor explained, causing all of the happy expressions on the group to vanish.

"Brock…might be in a coma?" Ash asked, watching as the doctor readjusted his glasses.

"Possibly. If he doesn't awaken within the next few days, we'll have to declare that he fell into a coma." He replied.

"Please, let me see him." Holly cut in.

"I'm sorry miss, but hospital regulations won't allow me to do that." He replied.

"Please, I just want to see him one last time!" She begged the doctor who only sighed.

"I am very sorry, but I can't allow you to do that." The doctor repeated, realizing that he should take this opportunity to retreat while the news was still settling in.

The room was a deathly silent for several minutes. On one note, Brock would live and that was reason for good cheer. But if he was left in a coma, it appeared as though they would still be living without Brock.

'We have to do something.' Ash said to himself, trying to think of a solution to this situation.

**May 9th – Night**

**Vielstone Hospital**

"Excuse me, can you tell me what room Brock Slate is in?" Holly asked the receptionist in the politest voice she could muster.

"Brock Slate…" The woman quickly typed the name in to a search bar, bringing up Brock's location in the hospital database. "He's in the east wing, in room two thirty six."

While this information would be useless if Holly tried to go directly to the room, she needed this for another reason. One that would hopefully save Brock before it was too late.

"Thank you!" Holly said, giving the woman a small smile before rushing out of the lobby. Once she was outside the building, Holly found Ash, Dawn and Paul waiting for her along with Ash's Mr Mime.

The group of four were seated around a floor plan of the hospital, helping Mr Mime get a visual lay out of the hospital for the next part of their plan.

"How'd it go Holly?" Dawn asked, looking up at the senior who gave them a nod.

"He's in room two thirty six." She replied, looking down at the map of the hospital which Paul was looking over.

"That would be right here." He said, pointing to a room that was in the far corner of the building. "Let's head over there."

Traveling to the location was quick and easy, and they easily spotted the window to Brock's room which was well out of reach for them. Although going through the window wasn't part of the plan either.

"Mr Mime, it's that room." Ash said, pointing toward the room on the second floor. "Can you take us to that room?"

"Mime!" It said, giving Ash a nod with a large smile.

"Alright Mr Mime. Everyone put you hands on its shoulders." Ash said, looking around at the group who followed his orders. "Use Teleport."

The cool night air outside the hospital was replaced the cozy warmth of Brock's room where the group spotted their friend resting on a bed, hooked up to an IV machine. It was quiet in there, and the group of five who had just entered remained silent.

"There he is." Paul whispered as everyone crowded around the bed to get a closer look at Brock's sleeping figure. Holly leaned in, closely examining the small bruises that were still present on his face that hadn't vanished completely despite the treatment he was receiving from several Chansey.

"Brock…" She said in a whisper. Her only reply was the steady beep of the heart monitor. "Brock…please wake up. Please!"

Holly drew a shaky breath before she let out a sob.

"Holly…all of your feelings right now. Don't tell them to Brock, let him feel them." Ash said, motioning for Mr Mime to step forward.

"How…How can I do that?" She asked, looking back at Ash.

"Mr Mime can project your feelings to Brock, even in his current condition." Ash explained as Mr Mime moved over to Holly, mimicking the expressions she was giving Ash.

"Really?"

"Yup, just put your hands on its back and think." He stated. Holly did as she was told, feeling as though she had been separated from her body once Mr Mime placed both its hands onto Brock's head.

* * *

><p>It was hazy. Despair hung in the air. Darkness clung to every part of his skin. Brock rested at the center of the area, unable to see anything beyond the thick hazy that surrounded him.<p>

Where's the light? The question had been on Brock's mind since he found himself in this state, but the answer never came.

He couldn't even move the search the area. His limbs refused to respond, so sitting up was a great challenge, and walking seemed to be out of the question. It seemed as though he would never find the light.

"Brock?!" A soothing voice echoed through, causing Brock to take two slow blinks, wondering if his mind was beginning to play games with him. He hadn't heard anyone speak to him at all since he woke up like this.

He wasn't sure whether or not he should trust his ears at the moment.

"Brock!" The voice called out again.

So his ears weren't deceiving him.

A silhouette appeared in the hazy which appeared to the be the source of the voice which became louder as the figure became clearer in Brock's vision.

"Ho-lly?" Brock said slowly as he finally caught a glimpse of some color that wasn't white, black or gray. There was a head of brown hair and large bright eyes that were filled with concern. It was definitely Holly.

"Brock! I'm so sorry that all of this happened to you." She began. "I don't know how much of this will actually get through to you, but I want you to know how I feel about you before it's too late."

It was taking sometime for Brock to process all of her words, but he was able to keep up with Holly as she spoke.

"I may not have been awake for most of it Brock, but I want to thank you for saving me from Gina. And for all the other times you would stick your neck out just to try to get my attention. I was always flattered Brock, but I was never sure about how I felt about you." Holly explained. "But after all of this, I can tell you exactly how I feel. With all of the recent events and some help from your friends, who are really awesome by the way, I can finally see how much you cared about me. And…I ready to return those feelings Brock."

There was a pause as Brock caught up to that point in Holly's declaration.

"I want to be in a relationship with you Brock, where the two of us will help and support each other!" Holly shouted at him. "Where the two of us can love each other!"

A ray of light broke through the haze from behind Holly, falling down on both Brock and Holly, bathing the two of them in light. Brock felt his lips curve upward at the warmth of the light before he felt a body fall down on top of his. Then he felt a pair of lips on top of his own.

* * *

><p>Ash, Dawn and Paul watched as Holly broke off her line of communication with Brock to place her lips on his. The kiss was short, not because Holly ended it quickly, but because the heart monitor began to speed up which sent out an alarm to the medical team that had been watching over Brock.<p>

"Please come back to use Brock." Holly said in whisper as she broke the kiss before she found a hand on shoulder. It was Ash's.

"Come on, we should go now before the doctors show up." Ash said, motioning the heart monitor which was beeping at a faster rate than it had been earlier. "Mr Mime, take us out of here with Teleport."

The group disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Brock alone on his bed. For a moment, Brock's eyes fluttered open before they shut again, a wave of pain washing over him now that his body had finally awakened. Within a minute, a medical team had burst into his room, quickly beginning to examine Brock.

What they found was nothing short of a miracle as the teenager lay awake on his bed, softly complaining about his hip.

'How…How is this possible?' The doctor asked himself as he called for them to inject a pain killer into Brock to help ease the pain he was experiencing.

**May 12th**

**Sinnoh Academy**

Brock rested in his own personal room in the Sinnoh Academy that had been given to him as he recovered from his injuries. After an impressive three day treatment from the Chansey team at the hospital, the doctor had released Brock from the hospital after a therapist showed Brock what he'd have to do to rebuild himself from the damage his body had taken. He had started these exercises with Holly by his side and his friends at his back. Brock couldn't ask for anymore support with all the help he was getting from all of his closest friends.

"The doctor says that in a month's time I should be able to walk normally again, but only for a limited amount of time." Brock explained to the group, getting many cheerful smiles since things were finally looking up for him.

"So you'll be good enough to attend graduation?" Ash asked.

"Hopefully." He replied, followed by a knock on the door of his room. "Come in."

Nurse Joy opened the door, peeking into the room before she gave the group a wave.

"I'm looking for Dawn Berlitz." She said, her eyes falling on the bluenette who gave her a wave.

"What can I do for you?" Dawn asked.

"There's a young man outside that is looking for you." Nurse Joy explained, receiving a thanks for the notice from Dawn before she left.

"Do you want me to come with you Dawn?" Ash asked, looking up at his girlfriend as she began to move toward the door. His protective side was showing, which gained a groan from Dawn. While she could understand Ash's intense desire to make sure she was safe after the Conway incident, it could be annoying from time to time.

"I'll be fine Ash." Dawn assured him before she moved over to the window the room which she peered out of for a moment. "Plus, you'll be able to see me from this window."

Ash rose from his seat to check for himself before he gave a sigh of defeat.

"Alright Dawn." He said, allowing the bluenette to leave after she gave him a quick kiss.

* * *

><p>Dawn exited the Academy though its front entrance, searching for the person who had summoned her. So far she hadn't seen anyone.<p>

"Ah, there you are Dawn." A voice called out to her, causing the girl to whirl around. Standing at the entrance to the Academy was none other than David, Rank 3 of the Tsugi Academy.

"David?" Dawn said, looking up at the boy who had his hands in his pockets.

"I'm glad you remember my name. Although it's a shame that's all you seem to remember about me." He said, speaking a voice that became oh so familiar to Dawn. "I never thought you would forget me so thoroughly Dawn, but I guess that's what happens when you go to the Tsugi Academy. I still can't believe you just left me here without so much as a good bye."

Dawn couldn't figure out what was so familiar about this person. She had never spoken to David one on one since he came to the Tsugi Academy last year, but now that she was watching him speak, she noticed he had the same speech mannerisms as someone she knew while she was Sinnoh.

"I can sympathize with you for not recognizing me since I changed my appearance and battling style, but I guess now will be an appropriate time for me to reveal myself." David went on. "Deedee."

* * *

><p><strong>*Gasp* The closer to chapter 26! What the hell is going on!?<strong>

**So there ya have it. The secret admirer I had mentioned earlier finally reared his face, but all is not what it appears to be. **

**I must apologize for taking so long with this update. I just got a new DSi and Pokemon White to go with it so I've been playing it obsessively for a while, so everything kind of took a backseat. Anyway, I finally got around to posting this chapter. What did you all think?**

**Seriously guys, I must thank you for all of the reviews for the last chapter. :D Much appreciated. I'll try to make sure the quality of the entire story remains that high.**

**And just in reply to the person who said Umbreon's can't learn Psychic, you might want to do a quick fact check. They can.**

**So, until next time guys!**


	27. The Jack with Two Faces

Part 27

"Deedee." David finished, causing dawn's eyes to widen at the old nickname she hadn't been called in years.

Only two people had ever called her that, and only two people knew the meaning behind it. One was a girl and the other was a boy.

"Kenny…?" Dawn said, getting a snort from David before he motioned for her to follow him around the back of the building. Against the back wall of the building were multiple fountains which David turned on before placing his head in the path of the water.

The two remained silent for a few moments as David wet his hair, the brown color it possessed becoming faded before it began to run off with the water. Underneath the darker brown dye that had been on top of David's hair was a far more reddish brown that Dawn instantly recognized as he straightened up.

"Kenny! It is you!" She exclaimed, rushing over to crush the boy in a hug. But instead Dawn found herself struggling to get past the one hand he had put out in order to keep her away. "What's wrong Kenny?"

"So you remembered me the moment you recognized me…" Kenny trailed off.

"What are you talking about Kenny?" Dawn said before changing the subject abruptly as she began to throw out multiple questions at Kenny. "So have you been at the Tsugi Academy the entire time? Why were you disguised the whole time?"

"Dawn!" Kenny said sharply to stop her from speaking. "Slow down."

"So…were you here the entire time with us?" Dawn asked.

"Yup." Kenny said, giving her a nod.

"But why did you come to the Tsugi Academy?"

"To be with you." Kenny stated, causing the blunette's eyes to widen.

"You…came to the Tsugi Academy to be with me?"

"Don't you remember the last thing I said to you before you left for the Tsugi Academy?" Kenny asked, receiving a blank stare from Dawn.

She honestly couldn't remember. It had been well over two years since she had last Kenny as how she remembered him.

"I can see that you forgot. Once you remember, I want to talk to you." Kenny said, leaving Dawn to stare at his back as he walked away.

* * *

><p>"Hey Ash." Dawn called out as she rushed into Brock's room, finding that Ash, Brock and Holly were happily chatting together.<p>

"Oh Dawn, how did your chat with David go?" Ash asked, looking back at his girlfriend.

"It was fine, he was just asking me for some tips on his Appeal for the course on Pokemon Contests he was taking this year." Dawn explained, managing to keep a straight face as her gullible boyfriend bought the story she had managed to come up with on the spot.

"Really? How was his Appeal?" Ash asked, wondering how exactly one of the battling experts of the Tsugi Academy would fare trying to make his attacks appear beautiful before a crowd inside of aiming to crush the opponent with brute strength.

"It was pretty interesting actually. Basically he was demonstrating his Alakazam's telekinesis by having it multi-task on stage." Dawn explained, getting a smile from Ash.

"Wow that sounds pretty cool!" Ash exclaimed. "So what did you want?"

"Oh…yeah, I wanted to ask you if I could borrow Mr Mime for a little while?"

"Sure, no problem." Ash said, taking out Mr Mime's Poke-ball which he proceeded to toss to Dawn.

"Thanks Ash." She said before rushing out of the room.

**Pokemon Center**

**Dawn's Room**

Dawn released Mr Mime from its Poke-ball, greeting the human-like Pokemon once it had taken shape.

"Mime?" It asked, tilting its head to the side.

"Mr Mime, I need your help." Dawn began. "You're a psychic type Pokemon, so you should be able to help me remember something I've forgotten, right?"

"Mr Mime…" It trailed off, remaining silent for a few moments before it gave Dawn a nod. "Mime!"

"Thank you!" She said happily, crushing it in a hug before moving over to her bed where she took a seat on the edge. "So how does this work?"

"Mime!" It shushed Dawn before it placed a hand on her head. Its eyes became a bright blue before it stared into Dawn's eyes. The girl was silenced on eye contact, her eyes becoming the same color as Mr Mime's.

* * *

><p><em>'Whoa, where am I?" Dawn asked herself as she floated weightlessly in an empty plain.<em>

_"Mime mime!" A voice called out from behind Dawn. The bluenette turned around, finding Mr Mime behind her with a wide smile on its face._

_"Where are we Mr Mime?" Dawn asked, looking toward the Pokemon who put its hand for a moment before it coughed a few times before clearing its throat._

_"Sorry about that. I get so accustomed to speaking in the Pokemon lingo that I forget to speak English when I enter someone's mindscape." Mr Mime explained, causing Dawn's jaw to drop. She had never spoken to a Pokemon and had it reply in the same language. "Since we can't communicate in the outside world, I decided to enter your mindscape so that it'll be easier to navigate through her subconscious. Are you prepared?"_

_Dawn could only gave Mr Mime a slow nod before she found herself being led by the hand of Mr Mime toward a door that had been erected from the floor. Mr Mime opened the door, leading Dawn into the a new plain, this one appearing to be a long and difficult maze with doors all over the walls and floors._

_"Oh boy, this could take quite some time to find the memory you're searching for." Mr Mime muttered. "Do you have a general idea of when this took place?"_

_"Roughly two years ago." Dawn replied, causing Mr Mime's expression to brighten._

_"Good, that won't take to long for us to find." It replied before motioning for Dawn to follow it as they began moving down the corridor._

_The search was long and dull as they moved up and down several passage ways before they finally found a door with Kenny's face on it. Mr Mime opened the door that rested on the floor, allowing Dawn to enter._

* * *

><p><em>Dawn was staring at herself. But it wasn't a mirror image of her current self. It was her past self from when she had been invited to the Tsugi Academy. She was shorter back then, and her hair was shorter too.<em>

_Her younger self was currently walking on a sidewalk through the always peaceful Twinleaf Town, her childhood Kenny walking alongside her. _

_"Deedee, you really got accepted into the Tsugi Academy?" Kenny asked, in awe that his close friend had been accepted into the best Pokemon Academy on the planet._

_"I know, right." Dawn replied excitedly, remembering that she had spent the last week packing up what she could with her mother. She would be leaving in two days, and it was unlikely that she would return to Sinnoh Region while she was away._

_"So you're really gonna go?" Kenny asked softly, getting a nod and a smile from Dawn. _

_"Of course. Once I get to the Tsugi Academy, I'll be on my way to becoming an awesome coordinator!" Dawn responded zealously. "This is my first step toward winning the Grand Festival."_

_"Yeah, I hear ya." Kenny said softly as he came to a stop, watching as Dawn continued to walk on without him, unaware of the fact that he had stopped._

_As Dawn continued to move, Kenny felt as though the distance was increasing between them. Not just because Dawn would be leaving the continent, but the difference between their skill levels as coordinators would increase drastically. Kenny was hoping to receive a letter from the Tsugi Academy, but he had only received one from the Sinnoh Academy so far, and it appeared as though his desired letter wouldn't be appearing anytime soon._

_"I love you!" Kenny shouted, causing Dawn to stop when she noticed how far away Kenny's voice was. Turning around, Dawn looked back at him._

_"What?!" She hollered, motioning for Kenny to come toward her._

_"I said, I love you Dawn Berlitz!" Kenny shouted again._

_A moment of silence drifted by before Kenny's declaration registered in her mind._

_"If I don't get a letter from the Tsugi Academy, will you stay with me in Sinnoh Dawn!?" Kenny yelled, waiting for Dawn's answer._

_Dawn couldn't give him a straight forward answer that day. She could admit that she and Kenny were close, but Dawn wasn't sure if she wanted to cross that boundary._

* * *

><p>Mr Mime broke its connection with Dawn, taking a step back as the bluenette returned to her usual state, staring down at her feet.<p>

Now she knew was Kenny was so upset with her. She had asked Kenny for some time to think about his request, but the moment she returned to her home she was sucked into the chaos of preparing for her trip to the Tsugi Academy. Before she knew it, she was on a plane headed toward Tsugi Island.

Kenny was the last thing she had thought about when she arrived at the famed Academy, and from that point on Dawn became absorbed in her studies to become a coordinator. She hadn't even noticed that 'David' appeared at the beginning of her sophomore year. All Dawn was sure about now was that she definitely had to apologize to Kenny.

He had never received a reply to his feelings. In fact it might've appeared as though Dawn trampled over his feelings by never telling him how she feels.

"Thanks Mr Mime!" Dawn said as she returned Mr Mime to its Poke-ball.

With great haste she left her room to begin a search for Kenny.

**May 12th – Night**

**Sinnoh Academy**

**West Campus**

Dawn had spent the latter portion of her day searching the entire campus for Kenny. She had discovered that this Academy exceeded the Tsugi Academy in both size and utilities. This one had so much more to offer which only left Dawn wondering how the students of the Tsugi Academy were so superior to those of the Sinnoh Academy.

Just as the sun set and Dawn was about to give up on her search for today, she stumbled onto Kenny who was near the edge of the large campus, resting on a large flat rock in a grassy plain. When she approached Kenny, Dawn was surprised with his expression of disinterest in her despite their ending note when they had last seen each other in Sinnoh.

"So do you remember what I said?" Kenny asked, looking up at the bluenette who gave him a nod.

"Yes. And I want to apologize Kenny." Dawn began.

"It's too late for something like that Dawn." Kenny cut her off as he sat up. "You have no idea what I've been through since you left. I changed everything for you Dawn, but I got nothing in return!"

Dawn was taken aback by Kenny's sudden outburst.

"I waited a week for your reply after that day, but you never replied. So I went to your house, only to find out from your mother that you had left for the Tsugi Academy. I couldn't believe that you had left without even saying good bye in any way, shape or form." Kenny went on as he studied his hands. "But I didn't give up on you. I foolishly believed that-that was your way of telling me to improve my skills and join you at the Tsugi Academy. But during my freshman year at the Sinnoh Academy, both my parents were killed in a car accident while I was away."

Dawn gasped, seeing that Kenny's anger was beginning to reach new heights.

"Without parents, I said I would support myself…so I changed myself entirely. My name, my hair, how I talk, how I battle. I did all of this so that I could get into the Tsugi Academy. That way I would get into the best Colleges, and then I would be able to continue on by myself." Kenny continued.

"But Kenny-" Dawn began but Kenny went on despite the girl's attempt to speak.

"And when I came here, I saw you, and I remember why I had come to the Tsugi Academy in the first place. I thought with a reminder you might think about what I told you, and maybe you would support me. But then I found out that you had your eyes dead set on Ash Ketchum! You had forgotten about me completely, so I kept my distance. I made new friends, I thought I moved on…but I can't move on Dawn." Kenny hadn't realized it himself, but he was looming over Dawn now, glaring down at the girl. "I need some damn closure Dawn!"

"Oww Kenny…" Was all Dawn said in reply as the boy's unfocused vision cleared up, allowing him to see the tight grip he had on Dawn's wrist. Kenny released his hold on Dawn's arm with a soft apology, realizing that he was squeezing the life out of her arm.

There was a long pause between the two of them before the two of them before Kenny turned away from here, beginning to walk.

"Wait Kenny!" Dawn called out to him. "You still haven't given me a chance to speak!"

"Dawn…please, I don't want to hear anything that'll give me false hope." He said in a whisper before he raised his voice. "That's the last thing I want to hear!"

"And the last thing I want to see is Dawn getting hurt by someone." A new voice cut in, causing Kenny to turn around where he found Ash kneeling down beside Dawn, checking to see if she was alright.

"What do you want Ash?" Kenny asked, giving Ash a dull stare.

"I don't know about you, but I get pretty irritated when I see someone hurt a person that is precious to me." Ash replied as he straightened up, Pikachu jumping off of his shoulder to the grass where it let out a few sparks of electricity from its cheeks. "I'm not really sure what's going on between the two of you at the moment, but I'm really not in the mood to see someone that's close to me get hurt."

Dawn could tell that this situation wasn't going to get any better. Ash had a lot of anger to vent after what happened to Brock, and Kenny seemed to be in the same boat as Ash as the two of them had a stare down.

"So I take it you want to battle?" Kenny asked, waiting for Ash's obvious reaction.

"Yeah! Of course I do!" Ash declared.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu added, getting a shrug from Kenny.

"I, Ash, a temporary junior of the Sinnoh Academy, formally challenge you to a one on one Pokemon battle!" Ash called out, deciding to make their battle official.

"And I, David, a temporary sophomore of the Sinnoh Academy accept your challenge." Kenny said, falling back under his alias which gained a surprised expression for Ash.

"David?!" He exclaimed. "Wasn't your hair browner than that!?"

"That was hair dye, this is my natural color." Kenny replied, fixing his bangs to make sure they didn't fall over his eyes now that he was going to battle. Taking out his Alakazam's Poke-ball, Kenny gave it a toss to release the Pokemon he had been using from the day he had entered the Tsugi Academy.

"Alakazam!" It said proudly, tapping its spoons together as a sign that it was ready to battle.

"So are we going to battle or what?" Kenny asked, reminding that Ash that it was time to get serious.

"Right!" Ash said with a nod before pointing at Alakazam. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu unleashed a powerful blast of electricity from its body which was directed at Alakazam, charging straight toward it in a zig-zag pattern.

"Alakazam, knock it away with Psychic." Kenny said calmly, watching Alakazam lift its hand, placing it in the path of the Thunderbolt. A blue halo formed around its hand which Alakazam used to deflect the Thunderbolt off to its right. The high powered attack hit a tree off to the right behind Kenny and Alakazam, roasting the tree which left back nothing but blackened bark.

"Pikachu, use Thunder Wave into the ground!" Ash called out, seeing that a direct approach wouldn't succeed.

"Pika!" It said, releasing a large amount of electricity into the ground which created a thick shockwave that traveled close to the ground toward the psychic type Pokemon.

"Alakazam, block it with Psychic." Kenny commanded.

This time, Alakazam's entire body became coated in psychic energy to block out of the attack which it did so without any trouble.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, seeing that it was time that they begin to wear away on Alakazam's impressive defenses. Pikachu fired another powerful bolt of electricity at Alakazam which completely enveloped the Pokemon who took no damage as long as it was under the protection of its psychic shield.

'That massive attack power…Alakazam won't be able to block that for too long.' Kenny said to himself as he studied how Alakazam was struggling to hold up its shield with amount of pressure it was facing from the Thunderbolt. "Alakazam, break through the Thunderbolt with Signal Beam!"

"Ala-kazam!" It roared, raising its two spoons so that they intersected before a dark yellow beam was fired from that point into the opposing Thunderbolt. The two attacks fought for dominance for only a few moments before Pikachu's Thunderbolt completely overpowered Alakazam. "Ala!"

"Alakazam!" Kenny exclaimed as he leaped out of the way to avoid being hit by his partner who was sent flying from Pikachu's attack.

Alakazam crashed into one of the near by tree trunks, but Pikachu still wasn't done yet. Walking toward the psychic type Pokemon, Pikachu continued to attack with Thunderbolt, leaving some harsh electrical damage on Alakazam.

'This kind of raw power…it's unbelievable!' Kenny said, looking toward the small electric type Pokemon who was unleashing an enormous quantity of electricity onto Alakazam. 'When did they become this strong!?'

"Alright Pikachu, I believe that's enough." Ash said, calling off Pikachu's attack to make sure they didn't cause any unnecessary damage to Alakazam.

Once Pikachu's attack cleared away, all of them could see a heavily bruised Alakazam resting against the tree trunk, small sparks of electricity showing up on its skin from time to time as a sign of paralysis.

"Good work Pikachu, I think we're done here." Ash said, a bit surprised with how powerful that one Thunderbolt was. It even exceeded the amount of power Pikachu had been using in their match against Barry.

"Alakazam, use Psychic!" Kenny said suddenly, catching both Ash and Pikachu off guard. The previously closed eyes of Alakazam snapped open in a bright blue color before Pikachu was lifted into the air by an invisible force.

"Pika!" The small Pokemon cried out as an unbelievable amount of pressure fell upon its body, crushing it from all sides.

"Pikachu!" Ash hollered, realizing it had been caught in one of the many variations of a Psychic attack. "Try to break Alakazam's focus with Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu gave a pained shouted before firing another bolt at Alakazam, but it had missed its mark by a long shot. Ash grinded his teeth together. Pikachu couldn't aim an attack while it was under all of that pressure.

"Pikachu, try Thunder!" Ash shouted. Little did he know that something beyond all his expectations would take place. Pikachu's body gained a white glow. Ash had never seen something like this happen before.

"Pika-CHU!" The shout from Pikachu pierced through the sudden silence that had set in as the light from its body grew stronger to a point where it was blinding everyone.

"Alakazam, contain all of that electricity!" Kenny shouted, realizing that if that blast went off, it would surely attract quite a lot of attention to their location. Unfortunately, Kenny's plan didn't go as he had hoped as Pikachu's Thunder attack easily broke the shield Alakazam had placed around it, continuing outward in all directions.

All of the trainers that were present realized just how powerful this attack was going to be, and made a break in the hope that they would get enough distance to avoid being hit by Pikachu's attack. An enormous dome of electricity expanded outward, continuing to grow to a point where it could be seen from by almost anyone on the campus. The ground within the radius of the dome was torn apart completely, and a large dust cloud as been kicked up into the air as the attack ended.

The scale of the newly formed cloud would take sometime to clear, time which was used by many of the guards of the campus to rush onto the scene to see what was the cause of this.

"Dawn!" Ash shouted, rising up from the ground. He was in pain. A lot of pain. He had tried to help Dawn escape, jumping in front of her when Pikachu's Thunder attack went off, but the rest was just a blur. His entire body was tingling from the shock he had received, and both Dawn and Pikachu were no where in sight. "Pikachu!"

Ash slowly rose up from the ground to begin his search for them. Unfortunately, the large dust cloud still hadn't settled, making it difficult for Ash to see. Eventually Ash stumbled onto another person, or rather he bumped into them which resulted in both of them landing on their bottoms.

"Ouch!" Ash held his forehead, unable to calm the throbbing pain. Glancing upward, Ash found Kenny seated on the ground as well, holding his head. Realizing that it was Kenny, an image of Dawn crying flashed in his mind as a cold reminder of what Conway had almost gotten away. "What's your problem anyway!?"

"That's none of your business." Kenny replied coldly as he stood up, searching for his Alakazam. Before he could even take a step to continue his search, he found himself pinned to the ground by Ash who sat on top of him.

"When someone hurts Dawn, it becomes my business." Ash hissed, closing his hand into a tight fist around the collar of Kenny's shirt.

"Look, you don't understand anything that's going on right now. You're not helping anyone at the moment." Kenny said rather pointedly as he tried to push Ash off of him, but he soon found that Ash wouldn't budge at all.

"Ash!" Another voice called out, distracting the raven haired boy. The voice belonged to Dawn, and it was clear to Ash that she was worried about something.

"Dawn!" He called out, quickly getting off of Kenny to follow the sound of Dawn's voice. Dashing through the remainder of the dust, Ash found Dawn's silhouette kneeling down on the ground next to a small form.

As he got closer, Ash could see that Dawn hadn't gotten away from Pikachu's uncontrolled Thunder unharmed either. But it appeared as though she didn't fare as badly as he did.

"Dawn, are you okay-" Ash froze as he stood over Dawn as she moved over a bit, allowing him to see Pikachu's form.

All of Pikachu's fur was black as if Pikachu had taken on a heavy full body burn. And the scent of smoke was coming off of the small Pokemon's body as it laid on the ground.

"Chaa…" It said weakly, its nose twitching slightly.

"Pikachu!" Ash roared, dropping down to his knees beside his partner. "What's wrong buddy?"

"Ash, we should get it to the Pokemon Center right now!" Dawn said, receiving a nod from Ash as he scooped up Pikachu from the ground, which in turn caused it to screech in pain.

"This burn is terrible." Ash muttered as he fished Pikachu's Poke-ball out of his pocket, deciding that it was best he didn't cause Pikachu anymore pain.

Kenny watched as the couple rushed off once Pikachu was safely inside its Poke-ball, sighing to himself as he looked down at his Alakazam. It lay on its stomach, both its eyes replaced with black swirls. They had lost the battle with Pikachu's last attack, and Kenny was awe-struck with the power Pikachu possessed. It was almost unfair.

But at the same time, a chill ran down Kenny's spine. That kind of power wasn't something such a small Pokemon should have. While it was impressive, it also dangerous for Pikachu.

**Pokemon Center**

"I examined your Pikachu, and I have a few questions for you?" Nurse Joy began as she stood in front of Ash and Dawn who had been seated on one of the sofas in the lobby for about an hour.

"Umm, okay." Ash replied, far more concerned with Pikachu's condition.

"I want to know what kind of training you've done with your Pikachu for it to be able to contain that much electricity in its body." Nurse said, taking a seat on the opposite chair.

"Well for about a month we've been focusing on improving Pikachu as a whole. Attack, defense, speed, we worked on all of it." Ash replied.

'Hmm…so that all round training must've increased how much electricity Pikachu can store in its body.' Nurse Joy concluded. "And what attack did you use that caused Pikachu to release that much electricity in one go?"

"Thunder."

'That explains it.' Nurse Joy muttered. "So you haven't used Thunder at all since the completion of your training."

"Not once." Ash said. "So what's wrong with Pikachu."

"I'll start with Pikachu's condition. It'll be fine in a few days, but its suffering from an electrical overload. That training you did increased Pikachu's storage capacity quite a bit, but you've raised it to a point where Pikachu's body can't handle all of it if it were to use an attack such as Thunder." Nurse Joy explained. "Fortunately Pikachu itself seems to have some control over that Thunder attack so it saved itself."

"Saved itself?" Dawn repeated.

"Yes. If Pikachu wasn't able to restrain itself when it was using Thunder...it could've exploded." Nurse Joy stated, causing Ash's eyes to widen. "The amount of electricity it can release at once for attacks such as Thunder is dangerous for Pikachu. I highly suggest you use such powerful electric type attacks with great caution from now on."

Nurse Joy finished with a sigh before motioning for the two of them follow her.

"Come on, you can see your Pikachu right now." Nurse Joy said, watching as Ash leaped to his feet, following her closely which gained a yelp from Dawn who he had almost knocked over. 'While this kind of power is acceptable in the professional circuit, and even the college circuit, someone at the high school level shouldn't be able to attain power like this. There's no way he was responsible creating the regime they followed.'

Once they arrived at Pikachu's room, the group of three could only look in through a window where they could see Pikachu resting in a small pod that glowed green. The damage to Pikachu was so extensive that it had to be healed directly instead of through its Poke-ball. After a few minutes, Nurse Joy left Ash and Dawn when another student entered the lobby, calling for her.

"Hey Dawn, am I…a bad trainer?" Ash asked suddenly, surprising Dawn who looked toward him.

"Why are you asking something like that Ash?" Dawn asked in return, watching as he slid down to the floor, leaning against the wall.

"I'm a horrible trainer Dawn. I should've known Pikachu's limitations so that something like this could have been avoided." Ash began, holding his head with both of his hands. "I'm such an idiot!"

This was the second time tonight Dawn was caught off guard by someone's sudden outburst.

"Why does everyone around me keep getting hurt!?" Ash shouted, unable to control himself any longer. Reflecting on the past month of events, Ash could only watch as the people he held close seemed to be taken down one by one. Why was it only them and not him? "Why can't it just be me so that you guys don't have to suffer?!"

"Ash!" Dawn cut in sharply, causing the boy to glance up at her because of her tone. It was rare Dawn spoke to him with this tone, but when she did Ash knew he had reason to listen. "I'm sure we've talked about this before…you can't bear everyone's burdens. It's not possible for you."

Ash's stare seemed to darken at this, be before he could interrupt, Dawn continued speaking.

"No matter how strong you are Ash, you can't carry everyone on your own." Dawn continued. "All of us, the people who you're trying to protect Ash are relying on you. But that doesn't mean we're going throw all of our burdens on you. None of us want to see you have a breakdown trying to do everything Ash, because we want you to rely on us too."

Ash stared at Dawn for a few moments, letting her words sink in. Dawn took a few moments to steady her breathing, but as she looked toward Ash again, the two of them heard a laugh from down the hall.

"Impressive Dawn. You really have grown over the past two years." The couple looked toward the end of the corridor where they found Kenny standing alone with his hands in his pockets. "You used to panic in situations like this when we were younger, but it looks like you made some good progress. Giving out some sound advice and all…"

"Is there something you need Kenny?" Dawn asked, looking toward her old friend.

"I just want you say something to me Dawn." Was all Kenny said.

"What is it?"

"I don't love you Kenny."

Ash's stared at the two of them, very curious as to what was going on now.

"I don't love you Kenny." Dawn repeated his words without any hesitation at all.

Both Dawn and Ash stared at Kenny as he gave them a weak smile. It was a smile that still had regrets, a smile that was trying to cover up the dark feelings beneath the surface.

"But that doesn't mean we're finished Kenny." Dawn continued, halting Kenny before he could leave. "I love Ash, but that doesn't mean I can't help you. Friends support each other, and I can see that I left you when you needed me the most. I'm sorry for that, but I want to make it up to you."

Kenny looked toward Dawn, his smile brightening somewhat.

"No worries Deedee, you've already done enough." Kenny said, finally using the nickname that he had given to the bluenette which gained a shout of disapproval to her as he shifted his gaze to Ash. "And you…you picked up a nice girl and the nicest person I know. If anything happens to her, you had better watch your back."

Kenny threat was misinterpreted as a challenge by Ash, causing the raven haired teen to jump to his feet.

"That won't happen, because I'm willing to bet my life on Dawn." Ash declared, causing his blue haired girlfriend to turn a deep shade of red.

"I'm glad. It's good to know that I can trust the person Dawn will be with." Kenny said, seeing that Ash's protective nature for Dawn was praiseworthy.

"Umm, thanks." Ash said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh, and congratulations on becoming Rank 3." Kenny said before he left, reminding Ash of the fact that they had a battle earlier and Ash had come out on top. Although in all the chaos after the battle a clear winner couldn't be seen.

The reminder that Ash had won seemed to shock him before he looked into the room where Pikachu was resting. Placing his hand on the glass, Ash still couldn't forgive himself for how the battle against Kenny ended. But he could now see that he had Pikachu were making steady progress to the top.

**May 17th**

**Veilstone Airport**

Ash scratched Pikachu's head as his partner rested on his hatless head, getting a satisfied 'chaa' from the small Pokemon. While its healing was incomplete, Pikachu's fur had returned to its natural color, and the damage from using Thunder was no where near as dangerous as it was the night of the incident.

Pikachu had awakened the day before, and Ash had spent more than an hour apologizing to the small Pokemon. Pikachu had accepted his apologies right from the start, but that wasn't enough for Ash. He even went through the trouble of being Pikachu's personal nurse while it was resting in the Pokemon Center.

There had been a small fight between Blake and Ash, although this one was completely verbal. Despite Ash approaching Blake the day after the accident with Pikachu with great anger, he was instantly shut down by Blake with a simple statement.

_"Once you graduate from high school, everything isn't going to be fine and dandy Ash. In the professional world of Pokemon, those with the most power, the highest speed are the ones who win. Winning is everything, and you need power to do so. I gave it to you…so I don't see why you're so angry." Blake stopped for a moment, allowing Ash to speak since he could see that he had been preventing Ash from speaking._

_"But look what happened to Pikachu. You should've told me that its body wouldn't be able to handle so much power."_

_"I don't see how that's my fault Ash. You're Pikachu's trainer, you're supposed to be keeping track of everything about it. Not me. The fact that something happened to Pikachu because of its unchecked power is entirely your fault."_

Blake's words were a total slap in the face to Ash. It didn't take long for Ash to acknowledge those words as true, and he quickly took them to heart. It was clear to Ash now that even though he had high standings in the Tsugi Academy, there was still a lot that could be done to better himself as a trainer.

Now the duo sat in their seat on the private jet that would be taking them back to Tsugi Island. Dawn sat beside them with Piplup on her lap, a soft smile on her face now that her boyfriend was acting normal again.

Brock and Holly were seated in another booth, quietly chatting with Paul like they had on the ride to Sinnoh. Brock was only capable of moving on crutches now because his treatment couldn't be completed in Sinnoh. But once he returned to the Tsugi Academy, the Chansey Team there will be waiting to finish healing Brock as best they can.

All in all, the Tsugi Top 10 would be enjoying the last few hours where they could enjoy peace with each other. Each of them knew that the moment they returned to their stomping grounds, tensions would split them apart again, especially between the sophomores and juniors because had knocked Kenny down to Rank 6.

Unlike the ride to Sinnoh, Blake sat by himself, a notebook out in front of him which he was vigorously writing in. He had written several pages already since boarding the jet. It was whole new section that he was adding to what he had written already, and he had title it 'The Finale'.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27. Wow. I'm getting more and more excited as we near the final event.<strong>

**This chapter was a hot mess with everything that went down. We finally have an appearance from Kenny, the secret admirer I had mentioned earlier as well as a battle between him and Ash after a misunderstanding from his discussion with Dawn. **

**So I just want to mention this now. Kenny, who I had been addressing as David up until this chapter will now be known as Kenny for the remainder of the story. I'm sorry if the sudden change during this chapter confused anyone. And I'm going to point this out now, anyone who doesn't recognize Kenny will address him as David like Ash did. Other than that, he is Kenny now.**

**So what did you all think? Please tell me! XD ****  
><strong>

**And a shout out to all of you guys for reviewing the last chapter, thank you!**


	28. Shuffle the Deck Pt 1 : Prom Night

Part 28

**May 18th**

**Tsugi Academy**

The Tsugi Top 10 returned to their home school with great clamor. The entire campus had been watching each and everyone of their battles in Sinnoh, cheering on their representatives the entire time. Their greeting at the gate of the campus was nothing short of a parade. They were bathed in glory by their fellow classmates.

The moment the ten trainers entered the campus through the large east gates, they found a parade waiting for them, for a float for each of them and their Pokemon. But as Ash and Kenny examined their floats, the two of them found a rather awkward situation. Ash's float sat in the position for Rank 6 while Kenny's was in Rank 3.

Their battle in Sinnoh had been recorded and put in the system, but it seemed as though the actual change in Ranking would take some time before it came into affect at the Tsugi Academy. Both of the guys shrugged of the situation though, deciding to enjoy the parade that had been set up in their honor.

"Thank you so much guys!" Ash yelled to the crowd, waving both his arms at them happily. Pikachu was perched on top his head, waving at the crowd of cheering students as well as their float slowly moved toward the front of the Tsugi Academy where Principal Spruce and some members of the school faculty were waiting for them on top of a platform.

Quietly, an orange haired girl watched Ash from a distance as he waved to the crowd. She couldn't help but give a bitter chuckle as she saw the enormous smile that was on his face. That smile held so much warmth that she had thrown away. She could only wish that she could bask in its warmth just one more time, but that boat at sailed long ago.

One by one, the floats came a stop in front of the podium where each of the Tsugi Top 10 could jump from their respective float to the platform Spruce occupied. A short period of time passed, and the all of the Tsugi Top 10 stood on the platform behind Spruce who held a microphone.

"This will be our second year in a row that we have defended our title as the strongest Academy on the planet. So let's give a round of applause to our Top 10 for claiming victory once again." He announced, causing the students to burst into an uproar.

The cheering continue for a short period of time before it came to a stop with Spruce waving his arms to quiet them down.

"Now as always, we'll be having the Prom at the end of the month, but this time students of every grade level are invited to attend to celebrate!" Spruce announced, getting another cheer from the students. "I've been informed that there is a surplus of clothing from the Winter Dance so if anyone is searching for something to wear to the Prom, visit the storage room in the Pokemon Center."

**May 21st**

**Tsugi Academy**

"Ash, that was a sweet victory in Sinnoh!" A student shouted as he slapped Ash's back, praising him for the exceptional level of skill he had shown during the battle week at the Sinnoh Academy.

"Yeah, you're Pikachu is amazing!" A female sophomore added as a crowd formed around Ash and Dawn in the hallway. It had been like this everyday since they had gotten back from Sinnoh, and Dawn could clearly see that Ash was enjoying all the attention. A little too much...

Studying the wide smiles and bright blushes on both Ash and Pikachu's faces, Dawn could only giggle at how similar the two of them are.

For Ash, he had finally redeemed himself in the eyes of his peers. After falling out of the Top 10 in January, many questioned his win of Fiona, simply concluding that it was the type advantage Pikachu had over her Feraligatr. But after his win of the top senior of the Sinnoh Academy, they definitely knew that his strength was real. That, and the fact that he had also seized Rank 3 while he was in Sinnoh. Everyone had respect for him now.

When Dawn and Ash finally escaped the crowded hallways, the couple went to one of Ash's hiding places, this one being located on a high hill behind that school that they could hide behind during their free periods. It was the same place Ash had taken Dawn after rescuing her from Conway's clutches.

"So Ash, do you know what you're going to wear for Prom?" Dawn asked, waiting for a reply from Ash.

When her boyfriend gave no reply, she glanced at him to find that he was resting on his back on the grassy plain, staring intently at Pikachu who was sound asleep on his stomach. The small yellow Pokemon was curled up and breathing lightly, and it looked downright adorable but that wasn't Ash's focus.

"Ash?" Dawn said, snapping him out of his daze.

"Huh?" Was all he said in reply to Dawn which gained a giggle from her before she placed a hand on Pikachu, gently running her hand down its small back.

"Don't worry Ash, Pikachu is fine now." Dawn assured him, realizing that Ash was still fretting over what had happened in Sinnoh.

"I know Dawn…" Ash replied before he snorted. "But I just can't stop thinking about it. I became Rank 3!"

Dawn deadpanned, realizing that she had come to the wrong conclusion.

"It's all thanks to Pikachu!" He said happily before sighing which gained Dawn's interest. "But in that battle I was a poor excuse of a trainer…"

"Ash, I saw that battle. You were far from that."

"No Dawn, I was. I know that you always tell me not to belittle myself, but I really did stink during that battle. Pikachu got injured because of my ignorance, that's something I really can't forgive myself for, even if Pikachu forgives me." Ash went on. "If I'm going to be a Pokemon Master, I have to make sure that my Pokemon are not only well trained, but well taken care off as well. After all, what kind of Pokemon Master would I be if the treatment of my Pokemon was poor."

Ash gave her a large grin as he looked down at Pikachu once more. Dawn found herself blushing as she looked at her boyfriend. Ash had become quite mature since the event in Pallet Town, and Dawn had to admit that he was even more attractive to her now than back then.

"Oh yeah, so what were you saying earlier Dawn?" Ash asked, recalling that Dawn had been trying to talk to him about a different topic earlier.

"Right, I was asking you what you're going to wear to Prom?" Dawn asked, receiving a shrug from Ash.

"I don't know. Maybe the suit I wore to the Winter Dance." He replied, remembering that he still had that expensive tuxedo in the closet of his room.

"I thought you might wear that again, that's why I went through the trouble of picking something for you and me." She said, giving him a smile.

"Like what?"

"You'll find out later, okay." She said, sticking out her tongue at him.

"But what if I don't like it?"

"Trust me, you'll like it. Especially when you see how elegant I look in my new dress."

**May 19th – Late Afternoon**

**Tsugi Academy**

Most of the school was vacant at this hour in the day since both the students and the faculty returned to their respective housing area for the night. It was quiet. So quiet that the soft foot steps of two students seemed to echo throughout the building.

"Gary."

"Blake."

The two students only stared at each other as they stood on opposite sides of the hall. Both of their eyes were firmly placed on the others, their gazes unwavering.

"You've become a bigger nuisance than I thought you would be." Gary was first to comment, which gained a chuckle from Blake.

"You turned out to be the biggest pain in the ass I've ever met." Blake replied. "But at the same time I haven't had this much fun in a while. Hopefully you won't burn out before reach the finale."

"Finale?"

"Yes…the Prom of course. That's where everything will come to end. And you're at the top of the priority list." Blake pointed at Gary, which caused the brunette to raise both his eyebrows.

"Oh really…you think that you can defeat me at the Prom?"

"Of course. By the time the clock strikes twelve on Prom night, you will no longer hold Rank 1." Blake continued.

"Hah!" Gary let out a laugh. "That's a good laugh."

It was Blake's turn to laugh.

"Do you really think you can stop me from beating you?"

"Of course. No matter what kind of trump card you think you can use against me, I will crush you." Gary stated. "My power is absolute Blake!"

"Such a bold statement Gary." Blake replied which gained a chuckle from Gary as he covered his face with one hand.

"No, you don't understand Blake. My power is beyond anything you could possibly have." Gary continued. "I can't wait to see your face when I crush everything you have and break your will."

While Blake's expression remained stoic, he had been unnerved. Gary's confidence was in a much higher state than Blake had anticipated. Ash's movement in Sinnoh should have had him on edge at the moment since they were closing up around him, but it appeared as though this didn't bother Gary at all.

"I hope you remember these words Gary, because you'll be on the receiving end come Prom night." Blake stated, whirling around on his heels as Gary laughed.

"Seems like your script has more than one error Blake." Gary said, although the last thing he was expecting was the cold stare he received from Blake. It was dark, and filled with malice as if Gary had insulted him.

"Remember this Gary Oak, I won't be the one to defeat you." Blake said coldly before continuing on down the hall, leaving the brunette. But despite his words to Gary, Blake only received laughter from the brown haired male. It felt like a premonition of bad things to come.

**May 27th**

**Pokemon Center**

There was still four days left before Prom, but Blake and quite a large number of students from all the grade levels had gathered at the Pokemon Center to decorate it for Prom. This work had been going on for a few days now, but there was still a lot to be done.

"Just a little bit higher Ash, I don't want anyone getting tangled in these when they enter the room." Blake explained as he motioned for Ash to raise the streamers a little bit higher so that they hung over the entryway.

"Like this?" Ash asked after pressing them against the wall.

"Perfect." Blake replied, giving him a thumbs up.

"Hey Blake, we need more tissue paper to finish the flowers for each table!" May called out to him from her work area where she an several juniors were folding tissue paper into small flowers of various colors that would placed as the center piece of each of the tables.

"Brock and Holly should be getting here with that any minute now." Blake hollered back.

Far on the other side of the room, Jimmy and Paul were working together to hanging the wallpaper Blake had suggested. Paul was acting as Jimmy's spotter, holding onto the base of the ladder while Jimmy stood precariously at the top with a staple gun, attaching the wallpaper to the wall.

"Hey Jimmy, you know Blake better than I do." Paul began, gaining the purple haired boy's attention. "Do you think Blake is planning something big for Prom?"

"Of course he is." Jimmy replied casually since this had become a regular occurrence to him. "In every situation that Blake had to do with the planning, something crazy happens. I can tell he's got something ready for Prom."

"Do you have any idea what it could be?"

"Nah." Jimmy trailed off before glancing down at Paul. "Why, did he tell you something?"

"No, he didn't."

"Thought so. That's just how he rolls. He doesn't really plan stuff out with people, you just get involved without noticing."

Paul shrugged at this. Maybe it was better that he didn't know what Blake was going to do.

"But at the same time, sometimes he will enlist someone's help, or set them up to help him without them knowing it so umm…he's just really confusing." Jimmy muttered the last part of his sentence before looking down at Paul once more. "I would suggest you stay on guard during Prom night though. I can tell he'll definitely be gunning for Gina, and possibly Gary. But who knows."

"Yeah, you've got a point." Paul muttered before glancing over at the freshman known as Blake. He was Rank 4 of the Tsugi Academy. The unelected school treasurer. And probably the most unpredictable person in the school.

But one question remained in Paul's mind as he looked at the boy. What was he? A trainer with a great ambition? A mischievous teen trying to pass time? Maybe even a mastermind?

**May 31st – Late Afternoon**

**Pokemon Center**

The night had finally arrived. Prom Night. All of the students of the Tsugi had gathered under one roof for the greatest party of the year. They were all dressed to impress, doing whatever it took to find a date, the right clothes just so that they would have the perfect picture for the yearbook.

While the Prom took place every year, this was the first time all of the students had been invited. It was normally for seniors only since it was near the time for graduation, but Spruce had made an exception this for the Top 10's victory in Sinnoh.

Blake sat alone on the edge of the platform against the wall of the room where the DJ would be working from, a notebook resting on his lap which he was quietly reading over. Unlike his Winter Dance outfit, Blake wore all black tonight.

"It's time for the Finale to being!" Blake declared as he hopped off of the platform, picking up his jacket from the edge which he proceeded to put on in a dynamic fashion.

* * *

><p>Ash stood alone inside of the lobby of the Pokemon Center, quietly waiting for Dawn. Pulling at the collar of his shirt, Ash tried to give himself some breathing space.<p>

Dawn had selected his attire, and while it was indeed a great suit, the collar was squeezing his neck, making it somewhat difficult to breathe. His suit was all black with the exception of his shirt, although everyone's clothing was either black or white. Blake had informed everyone that the theme was light and darkness. He insisted that the couples come clothed as polar opposites, so that one person was the light, while the other acted as their shadow.

Dawn hadn't told Ash whether he would be the light or the shadow, he simply found out when she gave him the suit three days ago. But he had no complaints. In fact, he was sure Dawn would look stunning in a white dress as a opposed to a black one. She was as pure as snow after all.

The door to the Pokemon Center opened, and there was a bluenette at the door. Ash had been looking down at the watch on his wrist when he caught sight a pair of white heels stepping into the Pokemon Center. Out of curiosity, he glanced up to see the person who was wearing the shoes.

"Hey Ash." Dawn greeted him with a small smile and a wave, waiting for an answer from her boyfriend.

"D…Dawn?" Ash exclaimed as he looked at her up and down. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me." She replied with a huff, pretending to be offended. "What, do you have a problem with how I'm dressed?"

Ash remained silent, taking in her entire outfit. It was a strapless white dress that came a stop over her knees and sparkled in the light. Around her waist was a silver cloth with a flora pattern that held the dress against to show her figure. Her hair had been let down, tumbling down to her upper back, shining from Piplup's Bubblebeam attack.

Ash took Dawn by one hand, lifting it above her head to twirl her around, taking a good look at her entire outfit.

"You look…amazing Dawn." Ash said as he got a good look at her from every angle.

"You don't look to bad yourself." She replied as she straightened Ash's tie before tugging him toward the large doors that led into the room where the Prom would be taking place. "Let's go Ash."

Entering through the large doors, Ash and Dawn found themselves in a rather strange setting. All of the people dressed in white were gathered on one side of the room while everyone in black was on the left. Waiting for them at the entrance was Blake who held a clipboard in front of him.

"Hey Blake, what's going on?" Ash asked as Blake stepped up to them, wedging himself in between the couple to separate them.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to tear the two of you apart to night. You see, tonight you'll be getting paired off with someone to follow the light-dark theme. I know the two of you are a couple an all, but the pairings are random, so I'm going to have to separate the two of you for one night." Blake explained, watching the couple looked toward each other.

The two of them gave each other a kiss as a parting gift which gained several gagging noise from Blake. Together Ash and Dawn gave him a light glare which only gained a cackle from the boy before he motioned for them to move over to the side of the room for their respective color.

Mixing herself into the crowd that was dressed in white, Dawn found herself staring at was either the most amazing or most ridiculous sight she had ever seen. It was Brock. Dressed as if he was rich duke in all white with a cane, a monocle and a white top hat. The outfit itself was awesome, but Brock just looked outrageous, although Brock seemed to wear it with the utmost of confidence.

"Brock, did you choose this?" Dawn called out as she approached her friend who beamed.

"Holly did. And I love it." Brock declared.

"Well she certainly has…interesting tastes." Dawn muttered sheepishly. "So do you know what Blake is going to do with this whole light-shadow thing?"

"I have no idea, I just can't wait to get on the dance floor with Holly." Was all Brock said in reply before everyone's attention was drawn to the stage where Spruce and Blake were waiting for the pairings to begin.

"Alright, so tonight all of you will be paired off as a light and as a shadow to take part in a hunt throughout the entire Pokemon Center." Blake began before looking toward the students dressed in white. "Anyone dressed in white will have the honor of choosing a name from this bin to determine who their shadow will be."

"So form a line, come up to the bin to cast your shadow." Spruce said in a menacing tone.

This was done quickly as each student came up, selected a slip of paper from a large bin and read the name out loud to call out of the person that would be their shadow. Brock stepped up to the bin, grabbing a piece of paper which he then read into the microphone in a rather confused tone.

"Ash Ketchum." Brock said, which gained a cackle from Blake. What were the odds of that happening? Blake only laughed in the background as the pairs were formed. All according to plan.

It was Gary's turn to draw a shadow. Calmly pulling a piece of paper out of the bin, Gary turned to the microphone after unfolding the paper. He seemed to flinch when he read the name mentally, but this was quickly covered up with a smirk.

"Gina Grays." He said, looking down toward the remaining students dressed in black.

"You can't be serious." Gina muttered as she looked up at the guy that was dressed in white.

"No, its real Gina." Spruce said after Gary showed him the slip.

Gina mumbled something under his breath as Gary leaped off of the stage, motioning for her to come over to him. Everyone's attention had been drawn to the duo. If this had anything to do with Pokemon, everyone could tell that this pair was clearly the strongest. There were numerous combos that could be considered powerful, but this one was clearly the strongest. Gina Grays and Gary Oak.

"Alright, now that the pairing is over, one person in each pair will receive a badge. For the rest of that night, consider that badge to be the equivalent of your life." Blake's tone became dark, which sent a shiver down everyone's spine, especially Cynthia's. That tone came with a possible death threat the last time she had interacted with Blake, and she didn't enjoy hearing it a second time. "If you lose your badge, you can forget about leaving this building."

"What! You can't do that!" The students began to protest.

"That's where you're wrong. The school faculty has already locked every exit of the Pokemon Center. You're all stuck in here until midnight, so as of right now, I am in control." Blake explained, getting an awestruck expression from Spruce. Blake remained ignorant to the man's confusion before continuing on with the instructions. "Whoever receives a badge will be protected by their light or shadow."

"Why would we need protection?"

"Because you'll be trying to take each other badges of course." Blake replied.

"But why would we do that?"

"You want to get out of here don't you? Plus, each badge will win you a prize. There's a possibly of you winning something as fancy as an ocean liner cruise to extra credit on your final average." Blake explained. "Not to mention only a certain number of people will be receiving badges. If you really do want to get out of here, you'll have to take one anyway. Although I think I should give anyone with a Rank a quick warning. The entire Pokemon Center has been turned into an 'Official Zone'. So every battle is official. If you lose to anyone, you can kiss your Rank goodbye."

As the badges were passed out, everyone soon discovered just how hectic this was going to be. Only a third of the pairs had gotten badges while the rest were told to back off until Blake initiated the game. The light-shadow pairs with badges were given a four minute head start to disappear into the Pokemon Center before the hunt began.

Blake cackled as he took the microphone from Spruce, throwing one hand into the air.

"Light, shine yourselves so bright that your shadows disappear! Shadows, swallow up your light and drown them in your darkness!" Blake declared before motioning toward the only exit of the room. "Let the hunt begin!"

* * *

><p><strong>Boy, this chapter was fun. I know its shorter than the last few chapters, and that's because its original length was at least triple the length of this one so I decided to cut it up to shrink the editing job without leaving you guys hanging.<strong>

**So what were you thoughts? There wasn't anything major in this chapter, it was more of a set up for the final arc. Hate to say it, but we have started the final arc of this story. Major milestone fore me, although its also a major bummer since I was just getting into the story. But whatever...**

**I don't know if anyone noticed it, but I've been using poker terms as the basis for my chapter titles. And its going to be that way until the end of the story. I just want to see if you guys can decipher any of the meanings in these titles before we hit the final chapter. Some are obvious, others might take some thinking.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews guys, much appreciated. I'll keep working hard and I'll see you at my next update. **


	29. Shuffle the Deck Pt 2 : Prom Night

Part 29

It was luck of the draw.

'Yeah right.' Dawn said to herself as she found herself seated beside Kenny in the cafeteria of the Pokemon Center. There was no way that Kenny of all people would have managed to pick her name out of the huge bin. And yet, here she was, seated beside her old friend.

Even though she was the one who made the declaration back in Sinnoh that she still wanted to be friend with him, she was experiencing a great deal of difficulty to start a conversation with him. It was kind of weird. He looked nothing like he did two years, and that made it hard to speak to him as if they were old friends.

"Deedee, will you quit tappin' the table like that." Kenny snapped at her. Unconsciously, Dawn had been drumming her fingers on the table for several minutes now, and the bluenette clearly missed all the hints from Kenny that he wanted her to stop. The moment he finished speaking Kenny covered his mouth, realizing that he had slipped back into his old way of speaking. This gained a giggle from Dawn. "What's so funny?"

"You." She said, making a quick gesture to him.

"What about me?"

"I never once thought I would here Kenny speaking like a normal human."

"Since when did ya have a problem with my speech?" Kenny asked before cursing under his breath. "Since when did you have a problem with how I speak?"

"I don't. It's just that I don't have a take a moment to figure out what you just said." Dawn commented. "It's kind of weird."

"Oh yeah, and having blue hair ain't weird." Kenny shot back, getting an indignant 'Hey!' from Dawn. As the two of them gradually became more comfortable around each other, Blake called for everyone's attention. The light-shadow pairs who had been given badges had left already, and now their seven minute head start was coming to a close.

"And the time limit is up. You may begin your hunt!" Blake declared, starting the stampede toward the exits as students rushed to out to claim the badges from those who had it.

Dawn and Kenny rose from their seats, looking around the cafeteria to spy out which exit hadn't become clogged with in the first few seconds of the hunt. Unfortunately it looked as though it would take a bit of time to get out of the cafeteria from any exit, so they would be getting a late start no matter where they went.

* * *

><p>Gina and Gary were among the group of people who had received a badge, although the two of them were sure that none of the students were dumb of to actually try battling them. Gary was in possession of the badge, so Gina had her Shiftry outside of its Poke-ball since she was to be Gary's protector.<p>

"Heh, this is kind of fitting, isn't it. You've become my shadow." Gary said, trying to start a conversation with Gina who only replied with a shrug. "It's almost funny since I pushed you into my shadow."

"Oh will you shut it Gary." Gina snapped at him which only gained a chuckle form the brown haired guy. She was going to continue giving him the cold shoulder until Rank 1 was back in her possession.

"Hey!" A voice echoed down the hall, causing the two junior duo to spin to see who was calling them. At the end of the corridor, the two of them could found Brock pointing them along with his Toxicroak.

'Brock…' Gary cursed, realizing that Brock was obviously here to claim Rank 2.

"Toxicroak, use Sludge Bomb!" He shouted.

"Shiftry, counter with Dark Pulse!" Gina said quickly. The two Pokemon fired their attacks, resulting in a small explosion that left the surrounding walls blackened from the blast. "Gary, leave him to me." Gina stated.

She still had a score to settle with Brock from their battle with Sinnoh. She wasn't satisfied with the ending to that battle. Brock wasn't at his strongest during that battle, but now she had to opportunity beat him when he was at his best.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Gary began, but he could tell his voice was no longer being heard by Gina.

"Shiftry, use Aerial Ace!"

"Toxicroak, counter with Sucker Punch!" Brock shouted, using the counter method he had come up with to negate Gina's use of Aerial Ace. Before Shiftry could even move to attack, Toxicroak was in front of it where it landed a hard blow to Shiftry's face which sent in sailing down the hallway.

"Shiftry!" Gina exclaimed as she pursued her Pokemon along with Toxicroak. Gary only watched as he was abandoned by his shadow before taking a quick glance at Brock as began to pursue the battle as well.

As Brock passed by Gary, time slowed down between the two as they spared each other a glance out of the the corner of their eyes. Brock issued his challenge, which caused Gary to raise his eyebrows. But before he could receive answer from Brock, the senior continued to chase Gina, Shiftry and his Toxicroak.

Gary chuckled before turning on his heels, heading the opposite direction Gina had gone in. He didn't feel like watching that battle. He had no interest in it.

"Hey Gary." A voice said softly as the brunette reached the end of the corridor. He froze as he recognized this voice before he looked to his left. Leaning against the wall was none other than Ash Ketchum.

"What do you need Ashy-boy?" Gary asked as he took some distance from Ash. The dark haired boy was far calmer than he normally was, and it was an unnerving feeling to Gary.

"You and me, a battle. Right now. One on one." Ash said as he straightened up, giving Gary a stare that he had been hoping he would see until his plan was complete.

'Damn it…I never though he would be in this kind of condition before the year was out.' Gary muttered to himself before his lips curved upward into a smirk. "Sure thing Ashy-boy."

"Alright Pikachu, we're betting it all on this one." Ash said to his partner who jumped off of his shoulder, taking its place on the floor.

"Umbreon, let's go!" Gary shouted, tossing a Poke-ball into the air. The black Eevee evolution stretched a bit once it took place before it recognized the yellow electric mouse standing before it.

"Let's get Rank 1 Pikachu!" Ash declared, receiving an agreement from his partner as electricity began to crackle from its cheeks.

"I'd like to see that happen Ashy-boy! Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!"

"Pikachu, counter with Thunderbolt!"

Both of the attacks were fired at the exact same time, resulting in an even clash. The purple sphere of energy could be seen being held back by Pikachu's powerful Thunderbolt until it eventually exploded, filling the hallway with a thick black smoke.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing?" Misty shrieked as she struggled to run at Blake's pace through the corridors of the Pokemon Center. It was bad enough that he was making her run while she was in a dress, but he was crossing a line if he expected her to run in heels as well. "Just stop for a moment."<p>

Blake came an immediate halt, resulting in Misty running face first into his back. The orange haired girl gave a yelp of pain as she held her nose before glaring at Blake.

"What do you want with me?" She asked again, recalling how Blake had taken her from her partner for the light-shadow game.

_"Here, let's trade." Was all Blake said as he passed off his partner who was dress in white to Misty's partner. Before any of them could protest, Blake grabbed Misty by the wrist and dashed off, dragging the orange haired girl with him._

"I want to show you something." Blake replied as she shed her heels. Without asking if she was ready to move again, Blake began to run dragging her alone.

Misty only remained silent as she followed him. The few times she had interacted with Blake wasn't enough for her to figure out what he was trying to show her, but the number of times Gary had mentioned him in their discussions proved that Blake had to be someone that even Gary couldn't be ignorant of.

After passing through multiple corridors and staircases, Blake and Misty burst out onto the roof of the Pokemon Center which was broken off into several platforms. Blake put a finger on her lips as a signal to stay quiet before pointing to the platform that was diagonal to where they located. A battle was taking place.

"Pikachu, use Agility!"

"Umbreon, stay on it with Agility!"

Pikachu grit its teeth as its speed was heightened another level. But this still wasn't enough to escape Umbreon. The dark Pokemon had one huge advantage over Pikachu. It couldn't be seen in the darkness, but Umbreon could still see Pikachu.

'Damn it Gary, you brought me out here just to make use of the fact that its night time.' Ash muttered to himself as he grinded his teeth. He needed a way to turn this around, and soon. "Pikachu, light this place up with a Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leaped out of the path of Umbreon's latest attack before landing on its hind legs where it proceeded to unleash a vertical bolt of electricity. The base of the bolt, where Pikachu was located emitted a strong yellow light that lit up the entire roof, casting light on the shadow Umbreon.

"Oh the irony." Blake muttered as looked at the two trainers.

The far reaching range of the electricity caught Umbreon, placing some light electrical damage one the Pokemon which caused it to flinch for a few moments.

"To your left Pikachu, transition to Volt Tackle!" Ash shouted after spotting Umbreon.

"Pika!" The electric mouse leaped to its left, the yellow shroud it had gained from using Thunderbolt becoming the field of electricity it would need for Volt Tackle. The transition was sudden and unexpected. Not even Gary had foreseen a move like this.

"Umbreon!" The dark Pokemon cried out as it was hit by the attack which sent it skidding across the roof. Umbreon came to a sudden halt when it hit the low rise wall that surrounded the edge of the roof, saving it from a long drop.

"How do you like that Gary!?" Ash shouted, looking toward his rival who had one hand in his pocket, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes. 'Hmm?'

"I won't let you win that easily Ash!" Gary's head snapped upward, revealing a pair of eyes that were focused intently the battle at hand.

Ash felt a shiver run up his spine. Gary's presence had become a whole lot stronger.

During his month of training with the guys, Ash had felt something similar to this come from Paul, Brock and Blake quite often. But Gary's was on a whole different scale when compared to them two of them.

"Umbreon, mix Faint Attack and Quick Attack together!" Gary shouted.

The result was astonishing. Umbreon had charged at Pikachu from the right, but the electric mouse had managed to guard itself from that direction. Bracing itself for the hit, Pikachu was surprised to see Umbreon disappear completely right before it hit, leaving Pikachu at a loss for words. Pikachu was then struck from its unguarded left side which sent it tumbling away.

With increased speed, Umbreon's Faint Attack became impossible to dodge with the darkness of the night giving it cover. Pikachu couldn't even figure out how to guard itself against the attack. Umbreon would attack from the right, only for that to be a feint so that it could land a better hit from the left. And even when Pikachu suspected this much, Umbreon could simply add on another feint until Pikachu became so confused that it failed to protect itself from any direction.

"That monster." Blake stated as he watched Pikachu take a merciless beating from Umbreon. The training required to pull off such an attack alone would be enough to place Gary in the professional circuit of the Pokemon world. But to create such an attack that left the possibility of attack open no matter what. Gary was indeed the strongest person to ever hold Rank 1 in the Tsugi Academy.

Blake's eyes narrowed as he looked at Ash along with Misty. The dark haired boy still hadn't given up. In fact, he was smiling. This battle wasn't over yet.

"Pikachu, let Umbreon keep hitting you, but gather electricity in your body!" Ash shouted.

'Hmm…' Gary said to himself, wondering what Ash was up to as Umbreon's assault continued. But Gary's suspicious were quickly answered when the speed and sharpness of Umbreon's feints dropped considerably. "What the…"

"Knock Umbreon away with Iron Tail!" Ash shouted as both an Pikachu began to keep up with Umbreon's speed with their own eyes.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu shouted as it sidestepped through Umbreon's first feint before lashing out with its stiff tail at the real Umbreon. Knocking away the dark Pokemon, Ash gave Pikachu a loud cheer for their success in stopping Umbreon's powerful combo.

"Static…" Gary muttered, realizing that it had been Ash's goal to place that status effect on them. "No matter, I'm still going to crush you!"

"We'll see how that goes Gary!" Ash shouted in return.

Misty stared at the two boys in awe as they moved around the roof freely with their Pokemon, taking part in what had to be the most dynamic Pokemon battle she had ever seen. Ash's desire to win in the battle was clearly conveyed to her throughout the entire battle. The entire struggle between the two trainers was breath taking as they lit up the roof with different attacks, but as she studied the expressions of both boys, she could see that both of them were pure blood trainers.

"Do you have any idea what you've done to Ash?" Blake asked Misty, looking down at the girl.

She remained silent.

"Well I hope you know what you've done to him. Rebuilding Ash Ketchum was the most irritating task I've ever had to undertake. And I still haven't finished." Blake began. "After he broke up with you, he was mess. But after restoring his confidence in his Pokemon and himself, we had to give Ash some new support figures as well. Once all of that was settled out, I noticed that Ash was still wasn't as strong as the videos I seen of him from last year. Do you have any idea why?"

Misty still refused to speak. But the answer was clear to her.

"He's still trying to prove himself to you." Blake continued. "That he's better than Gary, and only when he finally moves on from that selfish goal will he be able to display his full ability as a trainer."

Misty stared at the boy she had betrayed months ago. His expression matched that of a warrior with his pride and honor on the line. His teeth were visibly grit, and his eyes were shinning in the darkness.

* * *

><p>"Toxicroak, just stay focused and use Mud Bomb!" Brock shouted, pointing toward Gina and Shiftry.<p>

"Shiftry, blow that away with Air Cutter." Gina said in return. The two highly concentrated attacks were fired, and upon contact with each other, they exploded, further staining the walls of the hallway as a black smoke surged outward. "He can't see us right now, Shiftry, use Aerial Ace!"

"Toxicroak, counter with Sucker Punch again!" Brock called. Aerial Ace was the magic word for him tonight. It was Gina's finisher to beat Toxicroak, but each and every time she tried to us it-it was blocked with a Sucker Punch. And the result was the same this time.

Toxicroak appeared in front of Shiftry, and landed a strong blow to its stomach which sent it flying backward, crashing into the wall at the end of the corridor. Both of the trainers could no longer see their Pokemon which was a cause for concern considering one solid attack was capable of turning the tide of the battle.

"Shiftry, use Whirlwind!"

"Toxicroak, finish this with Poison Jab!"

There was a loud clap before a piercing wind parted the smoke, revealing that Toxicroak was airborne and right above Shiftry with its fist cocked back, ready to land the finishing blow. Gina's eyes widen as she saw Toxicroak falling down toward Shiftry, throwing its fist forward for the finish. There was a loud smash and then time sped back up again. Toxicroak's hand was buried in the wall where Shiftry's head was once in front of. The grass/dark type had barely managed to tilt its head to the side to escape being hit.

"Shiftry, go!" Gina ordered. Shiftry them proceeded to kick Toxicroak in the gut, hard enough to send it flying up toward the ceiling which it hit with a loud groan.

Toxicroak then began to fall as Shiftry jumped to its feet, readying its fans for a hard attack. The moment Toxicroak dropped down beside Shiftry, dazed from hitting the ceiling, Shiftry slapped it hard with both its fans. This should have been nothing more than stinging back hand, but with the Whirlwind boosting the force of the attack, Toxicroak was slammed against the wall with another groan.

"Now Shiftry, finish with Air Cutter!"

"Toxicroak, Sucker Punch!" Brock cried out. It was their only option at this point to avoid being finished. Despite its confused state, Toxicroak was stable enough to leap at Shiftry and land a quick punch that disrupted it attack. "Now don't back down, stay focused and attack with Poison Jab!"

The two Pokemon became locked in a heated exchange. It was like a dance. They continued to avoid these super effective attacks with great skill before attempting to strike their opponent. There was no beat, but Brock was sure that they could battle in sync with it.

Toxicroak side stepped Shiftry's latest chopping attack which released a thin razor blade of wind that would have caused a large amount of damage if it were to hit the poison/fighting type Pokemon. As Toxicroak came to a stop, Shiftry moved to pursue it only to be forced back by a set of jabs from Toxicroak.

After dodging the first set, Shiftry began to press forward toward Toxicroak, evading the jabs as it advanced. The moment the opportunity presented itself, Shiftry lashed out at Toxicroak with an attack aimed for its body. Reading through Shiftry's plan, Toxicroak dropped to the ground in a crouch, barely avoiding the attack before it spun on the heel of one foot, aiming a sweep kick at Shiftry's ankles.

Shiftry jumped above Toxicroak's leg, planning to attack with an Air Cutter, but Toxicroak seemed to planning a head for this as well. Twisting its body, Toxicroak placed its attacking leg on the ground before throwing its other leg out at Shiftry, knocking away the dark type Pokemon before it could attack. Shiftry hit the wall of the corridor with a hard thud before Toxicroak capitalized on this golden opportunity.

Shiftry was hurting from the kick, leaving it completely open for Toxicroak's finishing punch. Slamming its Poison Jab enhanced fist into Shiftry's head, Gina became mortified as Toxicroak's monstrous power pushed Shiftry's body through the wall of the corridor into the room next to them. Toxicroak pulled its hand back, stumbling backward before it hit the opposite wall, leaning against it for support.

Shiftry remained motionless, hanging from the hole in the wall with its upper body in the next room.

"Shiftry!" Gina shouted, rushing over to check on her Pokemon.

But before she even arrived, she could tell that the results of the battle were in. Brock had barely managed to get away with victory. She had acknowledged Brock as a powerful trainer after their first battle at the Sinnoh Academy, but she never once though that he would actually be able to beat her in a one on one battle.

Glancing the senior that was clad in white, Gina couldn't help but wonder where he was harboring all of this strength without letting anyone in the Academy find out until his senior year. Brock approached his Toxicroak, congratulating it on a job well done before offering it the few Oran Berries he kept on his person for emergencies. These berries wouldn't completely heal it, but it was enough for Toxicroak to move freely once again.

Brock then looked toward Gina, giving her a nod before motioning for Toxicroak to follow him.

It was a rather strange way to end such a tough battle. It's not every day you see Gina Grays lose a battle to a non-Ranker.

* * *

><p>"Damn it!" Ash roared as he kneeled down next to Pikachu. The explosive, high paced battle had come to a close with Gary as the victor. But that victory was only by a slim margin. Umbreon was in no condition to continue, but it stood as the winner. "Almost Pikachu, almost! We'll get him next time!"<p>

Gary stood completely still as he stared at his Umbreon, waiting for his heart to settle down. He had never been so nervous during a battle. No one had ever pushed him this hard. and

Misty couldn't help but dash out onto the roof, rushing over to Ash where she dropped down beside him. His frustration for over losing to Gary had pushed Misty over the edge. She knew that she was responsible for this.

"I'm sorry Ash!" She yelled, surprising the boy. Tears were pouring down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry!"

"Misty, why are you crying?" Ash exclaimed although this went unheard by the orange haired beauty.

"You don't need to prove yourself to me. I was the one who made the mistake." Misty said to him, although the raven haired trainer still couldn't figure out what it was she was talking about.

'And cue Brock.' Blake said from his hiding place, waiting for the next part of his plan to make its appearance. Just as Blake said, the senior dressed in white burst onto the roof using the other entrance with his Toxicroak following close behind.

Focusing on Gary, Blake had prepared a cackle for this very moment when he had finally cornered Gary, but the brunette remained stoic. Blake had to commend Gary for keeping a solid poker face on despite the corner he had been forced into.

"Well played Blake! Well played!" Gary called out with a laugh.

"Something's wrong…" Blake muttered as he peeked out from behind the doorway he was hidden in.

"Gary, I've beaten Gina. Now it's you and me!" Brock declared.

He had entered the exact scene Blake had described. Ash would be kneeling down in front of his defeated Pikachu with Misty, and Gary's Umbreon would be in terrible condition. This was the opportunity he was supposed to capitalize on to gain Rank 1.

"Toxicroak, use Brick Break on Umbreon!" Brock shouted, motioning for his partner to attack. The poison type Pokemon burst forward, charging toward Umbreon.

"Use Faint Attack." Gary said calmly. Umbreon disappeared just before Toxicroak could hit it before it returned with a glancing blow to Toxicroak's side which forced it to take a few steps back.

They had won over Gina, but they had won by a thin margin as well. Toxicroak's was pushing its limits now, but Brock had promised the Pokemon some vacation time once this was over since they would be graduating.

"Toxicroak, don't let up!" Brock continued, motioning for it to continue its attack. The dual type Pokemon lunged forward once again, throwing out a fury of attacks at Umbreon who continued to dodge them. Neither of them yielded, Umbreon showing its evasive skill to Toxicroak's high numbered assault.

"Alright Umbreon, that's enough." Gary said, lifting its Poke-ball to return it to safety.

'What?' Blake exclaimed.

"Are you forfeiting Gary?" Brock asked, causing both Ash and Misty to look at him, curiosity evident in their expressions.

"No. I'm going to win at all costs. I have a feeling that Blake still has a few tricks up his sleeve so the my Umbreon will eventually be defeated. But to defeat my Umbreon, you'll have to beat thisPokemon!" Gary explained before taking a Poke-ball that gained raised eyebrows from all the spectators. It was a black Poke-ball, with a yellow star on it.

Gary chucked the Poke-ball at the ground, and as the device opened up there was a clap of thunder that caused everyone to jump. There was a blinding light for several moments before it finally darkened for everyone to look at the beast that was standing behind Gary.

It stood on all fours with its head held high. It's fur was a bright yellow, with an oddly shaped purple mane flowing down its back. There were multiple spots on its fur where thunderbolts were defined in black from its yellow fur, and it possessed a pair of large fangs. The beast gave a roar, and everyone was sure that they could hear a clap of thunder in the distance.

'I knew it!' Blake exclaimed as he stepped out from his hiding place, removing the two Poke-balls he had brought with him. Releasing his Salamence and Gallade, Blake could tell that he couldn't allow this to go on any further.

But what were the odds of a defeating the Legendary Raikou?

* * *

><p><strong>Hmm...how will our heroes overcome this hurdle?<strong>

**I attempted something different with my battles in this chapter, or really just the battle between Ash and Gary since I had the opportunity. Rather than describe everything that takes place in the battle and make it as action packed as possible, I tried to show the other side of the battle. The battle between the trainers. I know it wasn't anything great, I was just testing it out since I've never tried anything like that before.**

**Please review!**


	30. Shuffle the Deck Pt 3 : One Final Stand

Part 30

"Don't worry Jimmy, I'll handle the fires." Marina said to Jimmy as he examined the Lucario that had just been demolished in a Flare Blitz attack from his Typhlosion. The powerful attack had lit the entire hallway in flames which Marina made quick work of with her Croconaw.

"Thanks Marina." Jimmy said, looking back a the alligator Pokemon that obediently doused the flames.

"I have to admit Jimmy, you never moved from Rank 9 all year so I immediately thought that you would remain the weakest member of the Top 10." Anthony called out to him as he rose up from the ground. "But I haven't been beaten that badly since I fought with Blake. You're a lot stronger than everyone gives you credit for."

Marina glanced at Jimmy, noticing the large grin that had formed on his face from the compliment. Marina narrowed her eyes, but she couldn't help but chuckle at Jimmy's usual behavior. Same old Jimmy.

"Thanks Anthony, that means a lot." Jimmy replied.

Anthony then looked toward his Lucario. It's body had been brutally charred from all of Typhlosion's fire attacks and the damage that had been sustained would take sometime to heal. It was unlikely that they would be able to battle against anyone before the school year ended on June 14th.

With a sigh, Anthony returned Lucario to its Poke-ball before reaching for the badge he had clipped onto the breast pocket of his jacket.

"No thanks man." Jimmy said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I don't need it. Keep it so that you can get out of here later." Jimmy replied, motioning for him to hold on to it. "In fact…"

Jimmy removed the badge he had on his suit which he then tossed to Anthony who fumbled the small object at first before he got a firm grip on it.

"Jimmy!" Marina exclaimed, only receiving a grin from her boyfriend.

"We don't need it." Jimmy said, leaving Anthony as confused as a Slowpoke using Amnesia.

"But what about…" Anthony began to speak only to be silence by Jimmy who raised a hand to interrupt.

"Don't worry about it. Just get on the move and consider that a thanks for your Rank." Jimmy said kindly before looking back at his girlfriend. "Come on Marina, we have to go check up on Paul!"

Jimmy took Marina by the wrist before leading her down the hallway past the dumbfounded Anthony, giving him a thumbs up as they passed by. Anthony only sighed before looking back at Typhlosion and Croconaw, the Pokemon of the happy couple. Typhlosion seemed to mutter something under its breath which gained a laugh from Croconaw before the two Pokemon began to pursue their trainers.

Anthony could only wonder if anything else that was out of the ordinary would take place tonight.

* * *

><p>"Weavile, hold it down with Ice Beam!" Paul said sharply as the battle between he and Cynthia was coming to a close.<p>

Garchomp was in a pickle for the second time in the last two months. The last time it was in a battle against Blake's Salamence where it was power duel that Salamence came out on top of. Blake was first to land to decisive hit which had won him the battle against Cynthia.

Now Cynthia and Garchomp found themselves in a similar situation. Weavile's superior speed had pushed the dragon type Pokemon into a corner time and time again despite the enormous difference in power between the two Pokemon. Now, Garchomp had been rendered helpless as it was encased in ice from Weavile's Ice Beam.

"Now, finish this with Ice Punch!" Paul commanded, seeing this that was the time to use the finisher he had specially prepared for Cynthia's Garchomp. Weavile burst forward, its fists gaining a cyan colored glow as it closed in on Garchomp. Slamming its fist into the protective layer of ice that had been formed around Garchomp, Weavile smirked while Cynthia became deathly silent.

The ice covering Garchomp's back suddenly spiked out in all directions, a sign that Weavile's attack had pierced through the dragon type Pokemon entirely, affecting the ice it had come into contact with. Several small cracking sounds broke the silence, focusing everyone's attention on the ice covering Garchomp. It was slowly breaking apart.

Eventually, the entire thing shattered, falling to the ground in a pile around Garchomp, revealing just who extensive the damage was to its body. It's chest had received a dark bruise that seemed to travel through its entire body since a bruise that matched the one on its chest was located on the back of the dragon Pokemon.

"Garchomp!" Cynthia exclaimed as her Pokemon collapsed to the ground, unable to continue.

"Excellent Weavile." Paul said to his Pokemon, getting a nod in return from his Pokemon. Paul spared Cynthia a glance before removing the badge he had received from Blake, tossing it to the blonde who caught it with a look of surprise. "Keep it."

Paul and Weavile took off in a dash, leaving Cynthia in the hall to stare at Paul's back. She could only wonder how he had gained so much strength. The battle hadn't been one-sided, but it was a battle where Cynthia was struggling a majority of the time. Paul's growth as a trainer during the past few months had been astonishing.

**Roof**

Gary let out a laugh as he leaned against Raikou. It was almost pathetic watching Blake and Brock try to battle Raikou with the Pokemon they had on hand. The two of them had been utterly destroyed.

Toxicroak was defeated with a single attack. Gallade and Salamence had done a praiseworthy job of lasting five minutes against the Legendary Pokemon before they were annihilated by Raikou's overwhelming electric type attacks.

But what really made Gary's day was the fact that Blake's usual poker face was gone. He was clearly distraught. But who wouldn't be?

"I hope you know what you're dealing with now. I defeated all of you without a problem. So don't even think about trying to save the senior class now." Gary stated as he returned Raikou to the black Poke-ball it had been contained in. "The Slate family will fall now that Brock can't go to college."

"What does Brock have to do with any of this?" Blake asked, halting Gary's exit. The brunette seemed to contemplate whether he should share his plan or not. But what reason did he had to keep it a secret now? There was no way he could be beaten before the end of the school year now.

"Brock is the whole reason I created this plan. The Slate family, or more specifically Brock's father ruined my family." Gary began, fixating his gaze on Brock. "It was all because of Brock's father that my parents disappeared from my life."

Everyone stared at Gary in shock, trying to put the pieces of the story together. Gary pointed at Brock, letting his emotions take control of his speech.

"My dad's career as a freelance trainer was heading downhill and he was struggling to support his wife and two kids. He wanted a stable job, so he set his sights on a Gym that needed a new Gym Leader. The Pewter Gym. Both our fathers took the selection process at the same time. And your dad got the job." Gary explained. "Your father got the spot over my dad. Without a job, my dad tried to find a new trade in order to support us while my mother worked as hard as she could. But eventually she died from her poor health conditions. My dad couldn't take it, and he killed himself. After that my sister and I were taken in by my grandfather."

Everything clicked in Blake's head. Gary's obsession with making sure no one in this year's senior class could hold onto a Rank. It was to make sure Brock didn't get into a college. Without college, it would be extremely difficult to start a career in Pokemon since the professional circuit made almost all of its decisions based on what rising star came out of the college circuit.

"It was all thanks to the Slate family that I lost my father and my mother. And from that point on, I swore that I would exact revenge for my father!" Gary proclaimed before looking down at the group with the menacing stare. "It's too late to stop me now. This is my victory."

Gary breezed past the group, leaving them and their Pokemon resting on the roof.

**June 1st**

**Tsugi Academy**

**Cafeteria**

The whole room was in an uproar as everyone observed the recent changes to the Top 10. A lot had taken place last night during the Prom, and it was such a surprise to the students since most of them hadn't even noticed the battles taking place between the members of the Top 10.

But one person in particular was staring at the Top 10 list with great interest. Gary Oak.

Rank 10 – Fiona

Rank 9 – Anthony

Rank 8 – Cynthia

Rank 7 – Jimmy

Rank 6 – David

Rank 5 – Paul

Rank 4 – Blake

Rank 3 – Ash

Rank 2 – Brock

Rank 1 – Gary

Blake had boxed him in completely. Gary no longer had the protection of Gina, she had been knocked out of the Top 10, and all of the juniors he could rely on had fallen down to the bottom of the listing. It didn't occur to him until now that Blake's intention during the Prom was simply to collect all of the Ranks surrounding him.

"Ah, damn it!" Blake grumbled, throwing his notebook off the table which gained the attention of the people sitting around him. This had been the third time Blake had done this during the lunch period, and everyone had taken some distance from the boy, unsure of what to expect from him.

Jimmy was only one who was still seated next to him, although he had to admit that he was kind of worried about his friend. He had never seen Blake act like this before.

Ash and Brock had relayed the discovery during the Prom to the group, and Jimmy was speechless to the say the least. Who would expect a high-schooler to be in possession of a Legendary Pokemon? Jimmy could only wonder how Gary had managed to pull off such a feat at his age.

Not even the greatest trainers that had entered the Hall of Fame were capable of capturing a Legendary Pokemon. The closest many of them had gotten was befriending a Legendary Pokemon because of the number of times that had interacted with it through battle. So how did Gary manage to do something like this?

"Blake, chill out." Jimmy said rather coldly, receiving a shrug in reply from Blake.

It was clear that Blake was frustrated. His entire plan had been shattered.

Challenging Gary to a one on one battle was out of the question. There was no way any of them would be able to conquer a Legendary Pokemon alone. The power of such a Pokemon held no equivalent in the Pokemon world. To even think of standing against it would require trainers with great competence and Pokemon trained to the highest caliber.

While Blake had these under his command, there was one fact that was bothering him. Gary had one of the three Legendary Beasts of the Johto Region. Could it be possible that he had another one? Possibly all three?

Blake chuckled to himself as ran a hand through his hair. He was actually smiling despite the situation.

"Oh boy…this is going to get messy." Blake muttered with a laugh, rising from his seat. Leaving his notebook on the ground, Blake began to make his way toward the exit of the cafeteria, releasing all of the tension that had been hanging over the table.

Everyone returned to their usual seats, everyone focusing on Jimmy.

"Is he going to be alright?" Ash asked, looking toward Jimmy who only sighed.

"I honestly don't know. I get the feeling that he didn't plan on Gary having a Raikou and that ruined everything he had been planning." Jimmy explained.

"How could he plan for something like that?" Ash muttered, getting a nod of agreement from the group.

"He's just angry because everything had come this far just for a failure in the end." Jimmy replied.

"But how did he fail, he helped Brock make it all the way up to Rank 2." Dawn inquired.

"That's enough to save Brock. But the rest of the senior class won't be looked upon favorably by colleges." Paul cut in. "If the Top 10 is this diverse between the grade levels with an underclassmen standing at the top, the entire senior class will be rated as below average. But if a senior were to be in possession of Rank 1, at the very least the colleges might give them a chance."

"Right. I feel like Blake is trying to save the entire senior class." Jimmy went on.

"He's doing all of this for us?" Holly said softly.

"Probably…" Jimmy replied.

"But how are we going to beat Gary now?" Ash muttered. "The three of use got completely wrecked by Gary and his Raikou."

"How badly were you guys beaten?" Paul asked. He had yet to receive a full explanation of how the battle had gone, and to find out Ash, Blake and Brock had been beaten single handedly was quite a surprise. Gary Oak's power truly seemed bottomless.

"Well Toxicroak was beaten pretty quickly after that, although we managed to get in one hit while Blake's Salamence kept Raikou distracted." Brock explained.

"Blake took on Raikou with just his Salamence and Gallade. And I have to admit, his approach was good. He continued to distract Raikou with one Pokemon while attacking with another. He was just starting to rack up some damage before Gary got angry." Ash continued. "From that point on, Gary dominated the battle. Blake's Gallade was beaten in two hits, and his Salamence as beaten in four."

Paul took these facts into account. Defeating Gary would be impossible if they took him on alone. Careful planning could alter the flow of the match, but it would take more than one Pokemon to beat Gary. In fact it would take a group.

**Off Campus**

"I take it you guys figured out what it takes to beat Gary?" Blake asked as he turned around to face the group, refusing to stand up. Brock, Paul, Ash, Jimmy and Drew gave him a nod before Ash stepped forward.

"Alone, we can't beat him. But if we stand together, it's possible." Ash declared.

"But doesn't that go against the rules of the Tsugi Academy?" Blake asked, giving the group a smirk. "That if the restrictions placed on a battle are broken, the results of the battle will be voided from the record."

"It does, but we're willing to break that rule if it means saving the senior class." Brock said, which gained Blake's signature cackle.

"Good, because as of right now, that rule is obsolete." Blake declared before motioning for them to come up to him.

As the guys rose to the top of the hill, they were shocked to discover that Blake had several large pieces of paper spread out all over the top of the hill that had several rough sketches all over the place that made up a detailed plan that Blake was still in the process of writing.

As the guys examined it, they discovered a dark fact.

"Blake, Gary used a Raikou on the roof during the Prom, so just out of question, why are you preparing to battle a Suicune and an Entei?" Ash asked, expecting to see Blake laugh as he usually did. But instead, he only got a shrug in reply before Blake gave him a serious stare.

"Preparations for the worst. It's possible that Gary only has a Raikou, but it's also possible that he has a Suicune or an Entei. The way I look at it, if you have one, you might as well get all." Blake replied.

"So this entire plan, is to defeat Suicune and Entei. What happens if he doesn't have either of these Pokemon?" Jimmy asked. This question earned a laugh from Blake.

"You guys aren't stupid. Improvise!" Blake responded.

Ash was uncharacteristically absorbed in the plan, reading over a part of the plan that he didn't have much a liking for which he decided to make known to Blake.

"Blake, what happens if this part doesn't work out in the end?" Ash asked, motioning to the part he was calling into question. "I mean what if she can't pull this off and-"

"Ash, don't question it. Just have faith." Blake interrupted him with a chilling calmness. This gained a pair of raised eyebrows from Jimmy.

_'Just have faith.'_

Coming from Blake, those words seemed like they were of another language. Jimmy couldn't ever recall the boy putting his full trust in someone else for something of utmost importance. This plan must be full of holes if Blake is relying on other people for it to be a success.

"Blake, you can't be serious?" Brock exclaimed as he looked over the final sheet of the plan where Ash was located although Brock was looking at a different section of the paper. "There's no way that something like that would work out in the end."

"Don't worry about that Brock. Just have faith."

Jimmy wrinkled his forehead. So Blake really had said those words. Twice.

"She must be furiously training right now. There's no way it'll be this easy." Brock went on.

"Brock, quit fretting about it. Everything will work on in the end." Blake assured him. Brock gave him a slow nod, wondering whether or not he could trust such a plan.

"This plan looks like complete and total garbage, right?" Blake asked suddenly, surprising the group.

"It sure does." Paul replied as if he had been waiting for someone to ask that question.

"I figured you'd say that." Blake muttered before chuckling.

"That doesn't matter, just look at all the other crazy crap Blake done during the past year." Ash exclaimed, recalling what had taken place on April first. "I feel like I should trust him on this one. He's pulled through every single time he's done something this year. I have no reason to believe that he'll fail this time."

"Ash has got a point." Paul said with a nod of agreement.

"If he's gotten us this far, there's no way he'll fail now." Brock added.

"Eh, I guess I owe Blake one for that special training back in April." Drew said, flipping his hair which gained a laugh from Blake.

"You guys are alright." He said as if this was the first time he had a heart to heart with the group.

Jimmy couldn't help but smile as Blake's hair was ruffled by Ash and Drew. It was pretty cool seeing other people besides himself trust Blake and receive his trust in return.

Little did this group know that this would be the last time they would be able to speak to Blake under such peaceful conditions.

**June 13th**

**Tsugi Complex**

The past eleven days had flown by for the guys as they prepared to take down Gary Oak from his place at the top of the Tsugi Academy.

Academically speaking, the past two weeks had been easy going since teachers had completed their curriculum. Finals had taken place during the past week and the guys felt as though they had done fine. Now the end of the year drew near. June 14th to be exact. On this day the Ranking System would be locked in place for Colleges to look at over the summer, so there wasn't much time left.

The battle between Ash and Gary had been recorded by the Ranking System of the school, allowing the guys to review the battle. Fortunately, the battle between the two Rank holding juniors was cut short once Pikachu fainted, preventing the fact that Gary had a Raikou from getting out to the faculty and students.

The review session lasted a few hours, but in the end it was fruitless. Gary's battling style was ideal in every possible way. He brought out all the strength of his Pokemon and fluidly covered up for their weaknesses. He was truly a fearsome trainer.

Overcoming Gary wouldn't be easy, but it was possible.

"Brock, you're in your position right?" Blake asked through the walkie-talkie's he had 'borrowed' from the storage room.

"Yeah, I'm ready and waiting." The senior replied.

"Alright guys, let's get on the move." Blake said, looking up at the guys who stood around him. Ash, Paul, Brock, Jimmy and Drew. All of them wore a serious expression, as if they were about to get dropped into a war zone. Although the battle they were about to enter could easily be compared to one.

**Junior Dorms**

**Gary's Room**

Gary quietly entered his room, content with the success of his latest trip to the Pokemon Center. Getting to one of the Restoration Machines without Nurse Joy or her 'guards' spotting him was difficult, but there was no way he would get away with simply handing off Raikou's Poke-ball to her and telling her to give him a call once it was healed.

The battle against Blake, Ash and Brock was a rather quick one, but Blake had managed to rack up some damage on Raikou, damage that continued to bother Gary since he was sure Blake was planning to make one final move before June 14th. But now that he had safely returned to his room with his Raikou completely healed, Gary could let out a sigh of relief.

There was no shot of him being defeated now.

"OAK!" A voice roared. Gary felt a chill run up his spine as he scanned his room for the source, but he was sure that he was the one that was present in the room.

The window exploded, allowing two silhouettes to land inside his room. The two of them were practically the same height, but the two of them straightened up, Gary could see that it was none other than Blake and his Gallade.

"Gary, I challenge you to a battle!" Blake declared, pointing at the upperclassmen who only grinded his teeth together before backing up to the door of his room.

Gary remained silent, only shaking his head before he opened up his door, deciding that it would be best to a make a run for it at this very moment. He could easily beat Blake in a one on one battle at the moment. But why bother? There was only a few hours left before the Ranking system for this year would be set in stone.

If he could hold off on battling them the guys for just a few hours, he could completely destroy everything they had been working on without even battling them.

Gary spun around on his heels, exiting his room where he came face to face with Jimmy.

"Gary, let's battle!" Jimmy said, raising a Poke-ball to challenge Gary who quickly turned away, heading down the corridor in the opposite direction.

"Gary, wait for me!" Blake shouted as he burst out of the junior's room, waving his arms frantically.

"No Gary, wait for me!" Jimmy shouted as the two of them pursued him down the hall.

Gary raced down the hall in search of the nearest staircase, but what he found was even better. An open elevator where that a couple was boarding.

"Get out of the way!" Gary shouted as he sprinted, motioning for the two of them to move out of his path. The two of them managed to jump out of his way in time, allowing him to enter the elevator where he became to rapidly hit the button to close the elevator doors.

Blake and Jimmy rounded the corner, shouting for Gary to hold up as the brunette continued to mash the button until the doors finally shut. And just in time too. Even though the doors had just, Gary slammed himself against the wall when he heard several loud bangs come from outside the door as if Blake and Jimmy were still trying to get in.

But after a few moments, the pounding of their fists against the door faded away, being replaced with the low hum of the elevator.

"Alright." Gary muttered with a sigh as the elevator came to a stop on the ground floor. Once the doors were open, Gary stepped out to find and empty lobby which only gained a soft sigh from him as he began to move toward the exit. He needed a place to hide.

As he passed the second elevator, the doors separated revealing yet another face that Gary had no interest in seeing.

"Gary Oak." Paul began as he stepped out of his elevator, blocking Gary's path toward the exit of the lobby. "Let's battle right now."

Gary spared Paul a glare before he turned on his heels, spotting the nearest corridor behind him. Gary took off in a sprint, leaving Paul at the elevator where the purple haired junior only snorted. The remaining elevator among the three on this side in the room opened up, allowing Jimmy and Blake to jump out where they greeted Paul with a nod.

"After him!" Jimmy shouted, pointing toward Gary who had disappeared into the hallway.

The group pursued, continuing to shout at Gary for him to stop. The strongest junior in the school continue to sprint through the halls, heading toward the one safe haven he had on the campus. The basement of the junior dorms. His base.

Rounding another corner, Gary saw the large door that was the only entrance and exit to his base. Coming to a stop in front of the door, Gary gave the door a hard tug to open before glancing down the hall where he found Blake, Paul and Jimmy rushing toward him. Quickly, Gary entered his base, shutting the door behind. From there he proceeded to drop down the metal bars that would hold the door in place, preventing anyone from entering this room.

'Let's see you get past this Blake.' Gary said as he stepped back from the door. He then glanced up at the sole ventilation shaft that came into the basement. Blake had entered through that before their first battle. Gary had already planned to spend a majority of his time in this basement, locked away in order to hold his Rank for the final day of the year.

He would crush Blake's plan without giving them a fighting chance.

Gary stepped back from the door, pleased with his victory. It was then Gary's blood turned cold when he felt a breath of air hit his neck.

"I was just beginning to think you wouldn't show up Gary." This was the last voice he wanted to hear.

Gary slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder where he found none other than Brock Slate standing behind him and Brock's Toxicroak breathing down his neck. Gary narrowed his eyes at the sight of Brock before his lips curved upward into a crooked smile.

"Well isn't this nice. Unlike the rest of your friends, I actually have something to settle with you." Gary began. Brock remained calm on the outside, but he was quickly becoming unnerved from the stare he was receiving from Gary. It wasn't just cold, it was psychotic.

Without any hesitation to the fact that there was a Toxicroak next to him, Gary removed a Poke-ball from his belt and hurled it at the floor to release his Umbreon. The small black Pokemon darted around Gary and slammed itself into Toxicroak's side, forcing it to back away from Gary.

"I accept your challenge! Let's battle Slate!" Gary roared as he pointed at Brock. "Umbreon, Shadow Ball!"

The accuracy of the attack was awful. It missed Toxicroak by a mile, but Brock had to leap out of the path of the attack in order to avoid being hit.

No…it wasn't aimed at Toxicroak.

That attack was aimed at Brock.

'What's going on?' Brock asked himself as Toxicroak dove in at Umbreon.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Gary fell right into the trap." Blake said as he closed the laptop that was waiting for them outside the basement door. "But we don't have a lot of time. Hopefully Brock will be able to continue dodging Gary's attacks."<p>

"But Blake, why did you send in Brock and not me?" Ash asked. Blake glanced at the raven haired boy, looking directly into his eyes. He could see that Ash wasn't being selfish, in fact he was only asking this question because he wanted to avoid having his friends harmed once again.

"I think I should let all of you know this now. Gary wouldn't have agreed to battle any of us. He will only battle Brock at this point in time." Blake explained.

"Why's that?" Ash asked.

"Because he's trying to kill him."

There was a moment of silence as Blake's statement settled into their brains.

"What?!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Why did you send him in there alone?!" Ash shouted as he grabbed the collar of Blake's shift, roughly tugging the smaller teenage boy toward him.

"Gary wouldn't have battled any of us. We couldn't afford to have him locked up in there without a way for us to challenge him." Blake explained as he grabbed Ash's wrist with both his hands. He then proceeded to twist Ash's skin in opposite directions which forced Ash to release his hold on Blake's shirt.

"The more this plan of yours goes on, the more I dislike it." Ash hissed at him as he took a step back from Blake.

"Do you want to save the senior class or not?" Blake asked, waiting for a reply from the others which they seemed hesitant to give. "Well if Brock was here right now, I know that he would give me a stern 'yes!'"

Blake smirked at the group. He knew that he had succeeded in riling them up. Now all he had to do was toss them onto the battlefield.

Looking down at the watch on his wrist, Blake gave the group a nod.

"It's time."

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, this confrontation has finally started. And its turning into a hot mess for the guys as they prepare to take on what could be the biggest hurdle ever with less then a few hours to stop Gary before the Ranking System locks up for the summer.<strong>

**I'm sure many of you are wondering why and how Gary has a Raikou, but I won't answer that just yet. The next few chapters will explain all of this, so just stay tuned.**

**Not much else for me to say right now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review. :D**


	31. Shuffle the Deck Pt 4 : Escalating Game

Part 31

"You bastard!" Gary spoke in a gruff voice as he gave Brock a fierce stare. His Umbreon had barely escaped being knocked out by Brock's Toxicroak.

He had been irrational since the start of the battle, focusing purely on Brock rather than the battle that was taking place which resulted in Umbreon taking quite a beating, not to mention all of the Poison Jabs had left Umbreon in a poisoned state. He didn't have any other other option but to bring out his secret weapon now.

"Umbreon, return!" Gary said as he called back his Pokemon to avoid having it knocked out. He couldn't afford to have Brock take Rank 1 with a lucky punch. "I hope you know what you've brought upon yourself."

Gary removed another black Poke-ball from his pocket, but this one possessed a blue star on the front. Gary then hurled it at the floor like he had done during Prom night, releasing a Legendary Pokemon. This one had a purple mane, but unlike the last one Gary had used, this one had blue fur.

"Suicune!" Gary roared as the Legendary Pokemon took shape behind him.

Brock could help by admire the beauty of the Legendary Pokemon. He had seen pictures and paintings of Suicune, but seeing it in person was a completely different experience.

"Toxicroak, get ready!" Brock said to his partner who gave him a grunt in reply.

"Ice Beam!" Gary yelled, pointing at Toxicroak for a change.

Both Brock and Toxicroak didn't even have a moment to react to the sudden attack before Toxicroak found its feet encased in ice, holding it in place.

"Now finish it with Ice Fang!"

Suicune leaped forward, charging in straight for Toxicroak with its mouth wide open to show a pair of icicle fangs that had grown for the use of Ice Fang. There was a loud bang.

"CHUU!" A bolt of electricity intercepted Suicune's attack, hitting the water type dead on which forced it backward. Regardless of its movement, Pikachu continued to zap the Legendary Pokemon until it finally shook off the attack.

"Weavile, use Crush Claw!"

A black blur flashed through the battle field, passing by Suicune followed by a high pitched slicing sound that sent a shiver down everyone's spine. Suicune gave a roar of displeasure, but this didn't seem to bother Gary as he looked up at the group that had been assembled at the entrance to the basement.

Blake, Paul, Jimmy and Ash along with Blake's Salamence stood on the platform, staring down at Gary. They had busted in by force, and it was then Gary realized what they were trying to do. And this caused him to laugh.

"You really think your puny Pokemon will be enough to conquer three Legendary Pokemon?" Gary called out mockingly to the group. But his confidence was well placed. All of the guys seemed to become unnerved at his declaration, but just when Gary thought that he could take control Blake began to laugh.

"Of course we do Gary. What's one Legendary Pokemon when it's facing off against several super trained Pokemon?" Blake said in reply, receiving raised eyebrows from Gary.

"Well then I'll show you just how powerful they really are!" Gary declared. "Suicune, Tailwind!"

A sharp gust of wind blew through the enclosed room, knocking over stacks of crates left and right, leaving the room in a wreck compared to how it had previously been.

"Now tear them apart!" Gary whispered to the beast standing beside them. Suicune seemed to flicker for a moment, and then Weavile and Pikachu were sent reeling from two unseen blows to their bodies.

Next was Salamence who was knocked off of the platform at the entrance of the basement, but it managed to save itself from a hard crash by spreading its wings.

"Suicune's speed and power is truly amazing." Paul noted out loud as the three Pokemon returned to their feet, searching the room for their attacker. "Weavile, use Agility."

"You too Pikachu!" Ash added, causing both Pokemon to heighten their speed as Suicune landed beside Gary. "Now use Iron Tail!"

"X-Scissor!" Paul ordered.

Once the two Pokemon gained a significant speed boost, they rushed in at Suicune to attack. Gary couldn't help but chuckle at the surprise that was clearly written on the faces of the two Pokemon as they passed right through the image of Suicune.

"Get rid of Toxicroak Suicune with Ice Fang!" Gary shouted.

Blake narrowed his eyes as he scanned the room, taking note of how the winds parted in several locations. Quickly detaching one the next Poke-ball on his belt, Blake hurled it down toward Toxicroak, putting a strong side spin on the ball causing it to curve right in front of Toxicroak who had shut its eyes, expecting to be hit.

Feeling no pain, Toxicroak opened up its eyes to see a Pokemon with red and white fur standing in front of it, blocking Suicune's Ice Fang using its forearm.

"Zang." It grunted as it struggled to ignore the pain that shot up its arm.

Gary raised an eyebrow at the appearance of a Zangoose on the field. Since when did Blake have a Zangoose? But before he could react to the appearance of a new Pokemon, Suicune was hit by another Poke-ball on its jaw which forced it to release the hold it had on Zangoose. The Poke-ball cracked open, releasing Blake's Gallade who wasted no time assaulting Suicune with a kick.

Suicune leapt backward after taking the blow, but before it could land properly Weavile and Pikachu were on both sides of it, ready to attack.

"Destroy them with Agility!" Gary roared. During the split second it would've taken Pikachu and Weavile to land their attacks, Suicune's speed rose another level, allowing it to knock away both of the Pokemon without being touched by either of them.

"Damn it, just how bottomless is the power of one of these Pokemon?" Blake asked himself as he motioned for Jimmy to release Typhlosion and free Toxicroak from the ice that was binding it to the floor. "Gallade, use Agility! Salamence, return!"

Seeing that his dragon type wouldn't be of any use for a while, Blake called it back while Gallade raised its speed in the hope that it would be able to compete with Suicune's immense speed.

"Use Leaf Blade, Gallade!" Blake shouted as he gave a nod to Ash and Paul.

Gallade charged at Suicune as its elbows extended out, gaining a green hue. Swinging its arms at Suicune, the beast leaped into the air above Gallade to avoid the attack only to be caught off guard by the Pokemon that were also taking part in the battle.

"Now!" Ash and Paul said together.

Pikachu and Weavile appeared in the air around Suicune, poised and ready to attack, but it was at this moment Suicune used an ability that it was famous for around the world. It began to walk on the winds that were passing through the room. Escaping the attacks from Weavile and Pikachu once again, Gary smirked with pride at the fact that he could still dominate this battle despite the numerous Pokemon he was battling at once. But that smile became a frown when Zangoose attacked, managing to land a hard slash to Suicune's torso.

Suicune shook off the hit as if it were nothing before firing a sphere of water at Zangoose. The sphere exploded on contact, blasting Zangoose away into a pile of crates.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, aiming to attack while Suicune was still distracted. From all of the practice they had done on Thunderbolt during their training with Blake and after that, Pikachu was now able to fire off rounds of Thunderbolts at a very high speed. This allowed it to land a strong hit on Suicune, forcing it down to the ground.

"Weavile, Crush Claw!" Paul called out, seizing this opportunity to strike.

"Gallade, Leaf Blade!" Blake added.

The two Pokemon rushed in for the attack, landing their respective blows to Suicune's body which gained a roar from the Pokemon and a rather irritated expression from Gary. It was only three of them, but they were working together well enough to force Suicune into a position where it would have to be hit. They were attacking like swarming Ninjask.

"Suicune, Blizzard!" Gary shouted, deciding that he would wipe them all out in one go.

"Jimmy!" Blake said sharply, calling for the only person that could counter Suicune's Blizzard attack.

"I heard him! Typhlosion, use Blast Burn!" Jimmy commanded, pointing toward Suicune. Typhlosion gave a feral roar as the flames around its neck double in size. Then it opened up its mouth to fire a sphere of condensed golden flames toward Suicune as it unleashed its icy winds.

Suicune was forced to fire its Blizzard attack prematurely in order to halt the approach of the Blast Burn attack, but this wasn't enough to stop it completely. Despite its efforts, Suicune's Blizzard was still overpowered by the Blast Burn which forced itself all the way back to the Suicune where it enveloped the Legendary Pokemon in a cyclone of flames.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt again!" Ash shouted, pointing at the cyclone that Suicune was trapped inside off. Pikachu unleashed another blast of electricity that caused the hurricane of flames to crackle with electricity. Everyone could hear Suicune's pained roar, causing Gary's expression to darken.

He was really angry now.

"Suicune, use Hydro Pump on the ground!" Gary ordered. A moment passed by before a wave of water gushed out of the base of the cyclone, cutting off the Blast Burn attack, but with water coating the floor around Suicune, Pikachu's Thunderbolt was magnified upon the Legendary Pokemon.

"Weavile/Zangoose, use Crush Claw!" Blake and Paul said together as Suicune struggled to shake of the Thunderbolt. Bounding from crate to crate, the two Pokemon rushed in at Suicune to land their attacks before taking some distance to insure that they wouldn't be hit be caught in the large electrical field.

"You pests are really starting to irritate me!" Gary roared as he withdrew a second black Poke-ball from his pocket. This one possessed a red star on it. He then chucked it at the floor, releasing his next Pokemon which gave a defiant roar as it entered the scene. "Entei, Lava Plume!"

Before any of them had time to take in the fact that Gary really did have another Legendary Pokemon in his possession, everything in the basement went up in flames. Pikachu's attack on Suicune was cut short as it was caught in the flames along with all of the other Pokemon present.

"Now knock down that platform with Iron Head!" Gary shouted, pointing toward the steel columns that held up the platform that Blake, Paul and Ash were still standing on in order to have a better view of the battle.

Entei charged at the poles, breaking two of them as if they were twigs which was enough for the whole thing to topple before the boys could get off of it. Ash and Paul gave a shout as they were thrown off the platform about ten feet to the ground, landing on their sides.

Blake only glared at Gary as he jumped onto the back of Suicune who then leaped up to the entrance of the basement followed by Entei. Gary looked down at the group from the back of Suicune, giving them a twisted smile.

"Don't die too quickly!" He shouted before ordering Entei and Suicune to take their leave.

"Are you guys okay?!" Brock shouted as he leaned on Jimmy for support, unable to stand on his own anymore.

"Yeah, we're fine." Paul replied as stoic as ever despite the fact that they were technically trapped in a burning room.

"We should be asking you that Brock since you can't even stand anymore." Jimmy replied as Ash studied Brock.

"It's no big deal. My left knee gave out while I dodging Gary's attacks so I put all the pressure on my right. Now both of them are useless." Brock explained rather lamely. The damage from the car accident in Sinnoh still hadn't healed completely, so after some very strenuous activities, Brock's legs would give out beneath him. Seeing Brock in such a state made Ash very angry.

"Mr Mime!" Ash said, calling out the Pokemon from its Poke-ball. "Put these flames out with Psychic."

As the psychic type Pokemon appeared in the room, its eyes became a dark blue as it caste its power over the entire room, cutting off the oxygen from being used to fuel the fire thus outing it in just a few seconds.

"Come on guys." Ash said as he looked up toward the doorway, calling for Pikachu to jump onto his shoulder. "Mr Mime, let's go!"

Mr Mime then proceeded to use Psychic to lift Ash, Pikachu and itself up to the doorway, placing them in the corridor where Ash motioned for it to bring up the rest of the guys. This task was completed quickly with some help from Gallade before the guys continued to pursue Gary.

'Alright, let phase two begin.' Blake said to himself with a smirk. It had all gone perfectly. The end of this battle was drawing close.

**East Gate**

Gary looked up at the fast approaching gate of Tsugi campus. All he had to do was leave the campus and the battle would end. If either participant of the battle were to leave the premises, the battle would become void.

He was so close to victory. Just make it through the gates, and he would win. Suicune took long strides, covering a large distance with just one leap as it moved. Gary looked up as he passed under the archway that was the gate, a wide smirk forming on his face now that he had claimed victory.

There was nothing that could stop him now.

"Roserade, Solarbeam!" A voice shouted. Gary whipped his head around to his left, but he didn't have a chance to make in orders before he and Suicune were hit by a blinding white ray of light.

"Piplup, use Bubblebeam!"

"Croconaw, Hydro Pump!"

"Pelipper, use Water Pulse!"

Three female voices ordered these attacks together and Entei was under attack, being bombarded with water type attacks. This obviously enraged the beast, causing it to lash out with wild fire attacks that set the surrounding trees on fire.

"Empoleon, put on the flames with Brine!" A male voice called out, ordering his large penguin Pokemon to dose the fire.

"Awesome Kenny, you're Prinplup evolved!" Dawn exclaimed as she caught sight of the Pokemon that Kenny had been using back in Sinnoh when they were together.

"Dawn, stay focused." Marina said to the bluenette as Entei now glared at the group. The Legendary Pokemon cocked its head back as it opened its mouth, revealing scarlet colored flames that it was prepared to breathe out of them. "Croconaw, counter that with Hydro Pump again!"

"Piplup, help out with Bubblebeam!" Dawn added.

"Pelipper, use Water Pulse!" Holly said, hoping that her addition would allow them to over power Entei.

When the combination of attacks met, everyone was shocked to see that Entei was actually holding its ground against the powerful water attacks. With a grunt, Entei increased the power of its attack, beginning to push back the girls' combined attack.

"Empoleon, use Drill Peck on Entei!" Kenny shouted. Ordering Empoleon to fire a water attack into that mix wouldn't change the situation too much, so Kenny decided to strike at the heart of the problem. And just as he had planned, Entei was unable to defend itself from the attack which disrupted its own attack, allowing the girls to power through it.

Entei was sent flying from the combination of water type attacks, eventually touching the ground where it began to tumble before it came to a stop in front of Gary and Suicune who were just rising to their feet.

"Everyone attack!" May shouted as she motioned for her Blaziken to unleash a Flamethrower attack on the downed Legendary Pokemon. The entire group consisting of Drew, Kenny, May, Dawn, Marina and Holly didn't hesitate to fire a large onslaught of attacks at Entei, aiming to finish it off, but Suicune and Gary intervened.

"Suicune, use Mirror Coat!" Gary shouted. A wall light appeared in front of the trio, absorbing all of the attacks that had been fired at them. There was a moment of silence as Gary's opponents realized what he had done. Then all of their attacks were thrown back at them.

All six Pokemon that had been battling against the Legendaries were thrown backward for the force of their own attacks, taking a devastating hit. They had just gained the upper hand but Gary turned it around in an instant.

"Blaziken, are you alright?" May asked as she rushed over to her Pokemon, trying to help it return to its feet, but this proved to be futile as Blaziken fell backward, unable to continue after being hit by an enhanced water attack.

Only Roserade, Empoleon and Pelipper were able to continue, the remaindered of the Pokemon were just about finished.

'Man, he took out half of use already with just one move.' Drew exclaimed. 'The power of Legendary Pokemon is ridiculous.'

"Drew, Holly, give use some cover fire. Empoleon, use Drill Peck!" Kenny ordered, looking back at the two trainers who gave him a nod.

"Roserade, Magical Leaf!" Drew shouted.

"Pelipper, use Twister!" Holly added.

The result of the three attacks was quite a spectacle. The spinning Empoleon pulled the Twister attack around it, using the cyclone as a shield while the Magical Leaf swirled around it.

"Entei, use Overheat!" Gary roared just before Empoleon hit. Entei opened its mouth, releasing a thin orange beam of light that hit the center of Empoleon's Drill Peck cyclone.

Drew, Kenny and Holly were absolutely speechless as Empoleon was removed from the Twister in an instant, causing the entire move to fall apart. The intense beam of heat sent Empoleon crashing into the trunk of a large beam where Entei continued its attack until Empoleon finally collapsed, unable to continue.

"This…is crazy!" Drew exclaimed. How were they supposed to defeat such fearsome power?

"Suicune, finish them with Aurora Beam!" Gary said venomously as he glared at the group that were proving to be even more annoying then the first group.

"Zangoose, counter with Shadow Claw!"

As Suicune fired its attack, a white furred Pokemon appeared its path with one of its paws completely coated in a dark purple aura. Blocking off the Aurora Beam with the Shadow Claw, Zangoose roared in pain from the extensive ice damage that was being done to its arm once again.

To end its attack, Suicune raised the power of its Aurora Beam ten fold which sent Zangoose reeling, but this bought the first team just enough time to take its position in front of the second team.

"Good work Zangoose." Blake said to his Pokemon as it spun in the air to land on all fours. Its right arm was lacking all of the fur it would normally have, proof of how powerful Suicune's Aurora Beam was. Zangoose itself was fighting to stay standing, obviously hanging on by just a thread.

"Brock?! Are you okay?!" Holly asked as she rushed over to her boyfriend who was using both Paul and Jimmy for support.

"I could be better." Brock replied.

"Come on guys, let's wrap this up." Blake said, motioning for everyone who could battle to step forward. Ash, Jimmy, Paul, Drew and Holly came along with their Pokemon. "Gallade, start off with Leaf Blade!"

Blake's partner Pokemon dashed in at Suicune, aiming to strike its body with a super effective hit.

"Suicune, take it out with Ice Beam!" Gary ordered.

"Gallade, dodge it using Double Team." Blake commanded.

Gallade blurred out of existence as it was hit by the Ice Beam, reappearing to the right of the attack where it continued its advance toward Suicune. Once it was within range, Gallade leaped into the air to land its attack on Suicune, but it was intercepted by Entei who knocked it away with ease.

"Roserade, use Petal Dance!" Drew shouted, seeing that Suicune was open for an attack.

"Rade!" The grass type cried out as it gust of wind was whipped up around it. Roserade then directed the gusting winds toward Suicune as several pink petals became mixed into the winds.

"Suicune, blow that away with Whirlwind!" Gary said angrily. "Entei, mix in your Lava Plume!"

Drew lost his footing at the magnitude of the attack. Roserade's attack had been blown apart with ease, and when the strong gusts of wind mixed with the fire from Entei, everyone disappeared inside of the flames. Gary laughed as the group seemed to burn inside the flames, but just when he though that he had finally gained victory. But before he could become absorbed in what he thought was his win, a jet was water burst out of the flames, rushing straight toward Entei.

The fire type Legendary stomped its feet with a roar, aggravated that it had been hit with another water type attack. But Gary's attention was directed solely on the group of trainers that stood among the flames, unaffected from the deadly attack they had almost been roasted by. All of these water types would interfere with how effective Entei would be.

But that wouldn't be enough to stop him. It would take a lot more than that to defeat his Entei.

"Suicune, use Blizzard!"

"Typhlosion, use Blast Burn!"

The two attacks met, but the result was different compared to the one back in the basement. Suicune was actually holding back the sphere of intense heat with its cold breath.

'Damn it, Typhlosion still needs some time to rest so we can't over power this Blizzard.' Jimmy noted as he looked at his Typhlosion who was frozen in place from the energy lost for using Blast Burn twice now.

"Suicune, send it right back!" Gary ordered. Suicune howled before the Blizzard became twice as large as before, pushing the Blast Burn right back to Typhlosion.

"No! Croconaw, get in there an intercept with Water Pulse!" Marina shouted. She couldn't let Typhlosion go down.

Croconaw landed in front of Typhlosion, firing a sphere of water into the approaching Blast Burn, but the attack was instantly vaporized by the hot flames that couldn't be cooled by the Blizzard. Unfortunately, Croconaw couldn't get away in time which resulted in it being hit by the Blast Burn. Even with its type advantage over the fire type, the extremely powerful attack annihilated it in one hit, sending it flying into one of the trees.

The Blizzard rushed forward toward the immobile Typhlosion, cooling off its flames. Once Typhlosion's body temperature fell, it became frozen until it was encased in a block of ice.

"Damn it." Jimmy muttered as he motioned for Marina to go check on her Croconaw, although it was easy for Jimmy to conclude that it had been defeated from the power of the Blast Burn. Gary was quickly dispatching the Pokemon they had put into the battle. At this pace it wouldn't be long before he beat all of them.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Suicune!" Ash shouted, motioning for his partner to attack. Pikachu fired a strong bolt toward Suicune, but Entei jumped into to the path of the attack to block the super effective hit. "Mr Mine, use Psychic to move Entei out of the way!"

Entei's eyes seemed to widen slightly as it was picked into the air suddenly and tossed aside, leaving Suicune to take the hit directly.

"Alright!" Ash exclaimed. Every hit counted at this point.

"That's last time I'm going to let you hit us Ashy-boy!" Gary shouted as Suicune and Entei rose up. "Suicune, use Aurora Beam! Entei, use Lava Plume!"

"Pelipper, use Hydro Pump!"

"Toxicroak, use Sludge Bomb!"

The Holly-Brock duo stepped onto the scene, attacking with perfect unison to cancel out Gary's attacks. When the four attacks met, a large explosion took place filling the area with a thick black smoke.

"Holly, get rid of this smoke!" Blake called out.

"I'm on it!" She shouted in return. "Pelipper, use Whirlwind!"

"Pelipper!" The large bird shouted as it broke out of the cloud. Once it was free of the smoke, Pelipper began to flap its wings, creating several strong gusts of wind that blew away the cloud, revealing that Gary was on the offense. But it was too late for anyone to react.

Roserade was hit by a point-blank range Lava Plume that sent it sailing into the air while Weavile was hit head on with a Take Down. Roserade was down for the count, but Weavile managed to force itself up to its feet. Fortunately when Suicune went in to finish Weavile, Zangoose managed to intercept the Legendary water type before kicking it away.

"Gallade, Leaf Blade!" Blake shouted. Gallade leaped into the air, raising its arms to land a chop with all its body weight onto Suicune's back, but the Pokemon managed to evade the attack using its sheer speed. Once it escaped, Suicune rushed in to attack Gallade, but when it struck Gallade, the psychic type faded out of existence.

"Volt Tackle!"

As Suicune realized that it had missed Gallade, it was hit by Pikachu. A low blow to its torso that lifted it off the ground, leaving it open in mid air where Gallade appeared above it, ready to land the finishing hit.

"Entei!" Gary roared. "Stop them!"

"Pelipper, help out with Water Pulse!" Holly called out.

This attack was only enough to force Entei to pause in mid air, giving Gallade enough time to attack Suicune. Suicune gasped as it received a sharp hit across its body. Gallade then spun in the air, extending on leg to land a drop kick on Suicune's back which sent the Legendary spiraling to the ground.

Suicune hit the ground with a thud, putting in a moment or two of struggle before it finally went limp. Its eyes became black swirls, which clearly marked the defeat of the Legendary.

Gary's anger became clearly evident to the group his he looked at them with a face that would have caused anyone else to back down. It was a chilling glare with tight jaws and teeth showing. It was stare that was meant to kill.

"I've had enough of all of you!" He hissed at them. Gary anger only seemed to magnify when Entei was sent flying past him by a surge of water from Pelipper, slamming it into a tree where it collapsed to the ground, unable to continue.

"Hah, we've taken down both Suicune and Entei. Bring out your Raikou so we can finish this!" Blake declared, receiving an odd look from Gary.

Why was Blake so confident? All of their Pokemon were in poor condition after how the battle had progressed. There was now way this rag tag team could defeat Raikou. Right?

Gary ignored the cold sweat he broke out in as he took out the third and final black Poke-ball from his pocket. This one had the yellow star that Ash, Brock and Blake had seen before. There was no way they could defeat a fully healed Legendary Pokemon. It wasn't possible. He could defeat all of them right now!

"All of your Pokemon are weak! There's no way you can defeat me!" Gary roared as he raised the hand that held the Poke-ball. "My Raikou will destroy all of you!"

Gary threw the Poke-ball to the ground, causing it to crack open on contact to release the Pokemon that was contained inside. There was no roar at the release of this Pokemon, just a flash of light. Then everyone saw what had appeared on the field.

A star shaped Pokemon.

"Wha…What the hell is this!" Gary roared as he stared at the Starmie that had appeared on the field. Blake began to cackle. Softly at first, but he became louder and louder. To a point where Gary's malice was directed at him.

"Never throw away something that can be used against you Gary Oak!" Blake proclaimed.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 31. Phew, this was a tough one. I've never written a battle with so many Pokemon like this so I had to double and triple check this one several times as I wrote it. This was pretty much the massive closing battle, although its not over yet.<strong>

**One thing I want to point out is that I'm aware of the fact that Suicune's real ability is to walk on water, not wind. It was addressed as the North Wind in the Celebi movie, so I figured it would be a bit cooler if it could walk on wind considering this battle didn't take place near a body of water.**

**All I can say now is that this is the beginning of the end. Man, I love saying that. **

**Just like to thank everyone for their reviews, much appreciated! :D**

**So, any thoughts? Especially with this cliffhanger. **


	32. Shuffle the Deck Pt 5 : The Folded Cards

Part 32

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Gary exclaimed indignantly as he stared at the Starmie.

"I'll give you a hint. One man's trash is another man's treasure." Blake said with what had to be the widest grin they had ever seen on his face.

Gary spent a few moments taking in the statement as he studied the Starmie. Then it hit him.

"Payback sucks, doesn't it Gary." Everyone looked to their left where they spotted an orange haired junior stepping out from among the dense foliage.

"Misty?" Gary said in a whisper as all of the pieces began to fit together now. They had set him up!

"We've won Gary, surrender." Blake stated as he stepped forward.

"But…but how?" Gary asked.

"You became ignorant-" Blake began only to be cut off by Misty.

"Let me explain." She said with a smirk. Blake motioned for her go right a head. Watching someone rub salt on Gary's wounds would be quite amusing. "It was a simple switch to be honest. I volunteered to be Nurse Joy's assistant today to help her out since she was swamped with all of the students dropping off their Pokemon before summer vacation. Unlike everyone else, you snuck in to personally heal your Pokemon and retrieve them right away to make sure Nurse Joy wouldn't notice the Pokemon you had in your possession. But Blake gave me a heads up about that."

Gary glared at Misty, but the girl remained firm despite the pressure he was exerting.

"If only you had know that the Restoration Machine you had used was the one Blake had helped me rewire into a PC. When you placed your Raikou in it, it was transferred to my PC, and replaced by my Starmie who was inside an exact replica of those special Poke-balls." Misty explained. "Dawn and Marina managed to make an exact copy based on the description they had been given by Blake, Ash and Brock. So my thanks goes to them for making my part of this plan work out so easily."

"Why you!" Gary began as he threw out his hand to reach for Misty's neck, but someone had seen and event like this a head of time and caught Gary's wrist.

"I wouldn't touch her if I were you Gary." Ash said as he tightened his grip on Gary's wrist, getting a pained gasp from the brunette.

Misty was taken aback by this. She wasn't expecting Gary to try anything, nor was she was expecting Ash to save her. But he looked really cool when he did. Ash threw Gary backward, resulting in him falling on his bottom.

"Face it Gary, its over." Ash said to his previous rival who was fighting to stand up again, but his trembling hands and knees thought otherwise.

"This battle has been voided. You can't take my Rank!" Gary shouted as he tried to rise to his feet. Now Blake stepped forward.

"It seems that your ignorance was the cause of your downfall Gary. Your not the only one capable of creating 'Official Zones'. I turned everything but the Tsugi campus into an 'Official Zone.'" Blake explained, causing Gary's eyes to widen. "The moment you left the compound, this battle became official."

"No, I still have my Umbreon!" Gary said desperately as he tried to rise back up, but now it was Brock's turn to chuckle.

"I guess you didn't notice then. Toxicroak's special ability is Poison Touch. That combined with our Poison Jab resulted in your Umbreon getting poison several times over during our battle." Brock explained. "By now it must've fainted from the poison."

"You're down to your last Pokemon in an 'Official Zone'. You're done!" Blake declared loudly as if it were a cue.

"Well now, isn't this an interesting development." A new voice said as a dark figure leaped down from the tree cover above. A long spiky white mane was the first characteristic that everyone took in before they concluded that they were looking at the back of a Shiftry. A Shiftry that had the famed Gina Grays resting on its shoulder.

"Gina!" Gary exclaimed. She would save him. "Help me crush these fools and I'll repay you tenfold."

The scene was very pitiful. The once commanding Gary that was ordering around two Legendary Pokemon was now clinging onto Gina's ankles, begging for her help.

"The only thing you could possibly give me doesn't involve me helping you. All I want back is my Rank." She stated simply as she pulled herself free of Gary's grip. Blake laughed out loud at the expression of shock on Gary's face. Everyone that had once been under Gary's command had turned against him.

"Shiftry, take out that Starmie with Leaf Storm!" Gina ordered, motioning for her partner to attack. Lifting one hand to point it at Starmie, Shiftry began to wave its arm in a circular motion until it whipped up strong gusts of wind. Then a torrent of leaves surged out with the winds, heading straight toward Starmie who was picked up with ease and tossed into the air. Starmie was then bombarded by the Leaf Storm attack several times over until Gina called for Shiftry to stop, allowing Starmie to drop to the ground.

Starmie had been finished with one hit, allowing Gina to reclaim her spot as Rank 1 of the Tsugi Top 10.

"I believe I have what I came for." Gina said as Shiftry lowered its arm. Things were silent for a moment, then Gary began to scream.

Everyone but Blake took a step back at his unexpected reaction to the outcome of this. Gary jumped up to his feet, shouting and screaming at Brock before he made one last charge at the senior who was being held up by his girlfriend. Almost everyone failed to react in time. Everyone but Paul.

Just as Gary closed in on Brock and Holly, he took a blow to his jaw that sent him to the ground like a burlap sack. Paul withdrew his fist, blowing his knuckles twice since he had thrown a rather reckless punch. But he had successfully stopped Gary before he could do something deranged.

"Punk." Was all Paul said, getting a chuckle from Ash. Gary was down for the count. They had finally won…

"Zangoose, Endeavor!" Blake shouted suddenly, surprising just about everyone. Gina turned her head as if she was a Noctowl, whirling around a full one hundred and eighty degrees at Blake's shout.

But she and Shiftry didn't have the time to react. Shiftry was hit by a barrage of small cyan colored orbs that caused a great deal of damage to the dual type Pokemon as it fell over, knocking Gina off its shoulder.

"Damn it." Gina muttered as he rolled onto her feet, observing her Shiftry who was fighting against its urge to drop to the ground and give up on the battle. "We have to make an escape to get out of here. Shiftry, use Leaf Storm on the ground!"

"Toxicroak, Sucker Punch!" Brock roared as he threw his fist into the air, causing both himself and Holly to topple over.

Toxicroak became a blur as Shiftry readied its attack, but the Leaf Storm was never launched. Instead Shiftry was sent tumbling across the ground from a hit to its stomach. The finishing hit. The hit that raised Brock to Rank 1 of the Tsugi Academy. The first senior to hold this Rank is three years.

"Shiftry!" Gina exclaimed as she rushed over to her Pokemon, beginning to examine her Pokemon while Brock and Holly finally fell over. It was really over now.

Brock and Holly laughed together on the ground while Drew and May were comforting each other after returning their Pokemon. Jimmy and Marina were working together to break Typhlosion out of the ice prison it had been trapped in, although this was quickly resolved with a Brick Break from Toxicroak.

Dawn rushed over to Ash with Piplup in her arms. Ash ruffled her hair and thanked her for her effort despite the fact that she had only participated in the battle for a short amount of time. It was then that Misty approached Ash.

Ash gave her blank stare. He honestly didn't want to talk to her at this point in time. Or, really he just wasn't ready. He didn't know what to say to her at all, especially after what took place on the roof of the Pokemon Center during Prom Night.

"Hey Ash." She began.

Her only response was silence. Not just from Ash. Everyone had become silent.

"Don't worry, I expected as much from you at this point. Last time you didn't accept my apology, but this time I was hoping you would." Misty went on. "I know its not enough to just apologize in words, especially to someone like Ash Ketchum. That's why I helped Blake with his plan to stop Gary. I was hoping that maybe this would help you realize that you don't need to prove anything to me."

"…Don't do that again." Ash said after a long pause.

"Hmm?"

"Don't do something that reckless again." Ash repeated. "Gary is a maniac. Do you have an idea what he could've done to you?"

"Actually Ash…she knew the dangers of helping us long before any of you did." Blake cut in before motioning to Misty. "If you would care to explain Misty."

"I sorta told Dawn what was happening with Gary. Back during our sophomore year, Gary started going downhill as he told me about his crazy plan for revenge. He didn't even drop the slightest hint of who he was targeting so I was in the dark up until this point. He was becoming very scary, but at the same time he became a lot more sensitive. He couldn't be left alone. So I stuck with him to make sure he didn't do anything rash." Misty explained. "At the end of our sophomore year, Gary told me what I had to do for him. And that was to make Ash miserable."

Ash's expression hardened at this as he glanced at Gary who rested on the ground before returning his stare to Misty.

"I refused. Unfortunately, this didn't sit well with Gary. He told me that he would destroy everything I have starting with my life on the Tsugi Academy. I don't know how he did it but he hacked the school system and threatened to remove me from the roster unless I helped him." She went on. "I couldn't afford to blow my education from the Tsugi Academy so agreed to help him. I honestly didn't want to hurt Ash, and I was even considering telling him everything, but then Blake appeared."

Blake seemed to perk up at this, interested in knowing how influential he was earlier in the year.

"I don't even know how he was aware of Gary's plan, but he told me to follow through with it, and not to quit no matter what." Misty continued as everyone's gaze shifted to Blake.

"You told Misty to do that to me?" Ash asked softly, surprising most of the group. They were expecting an outburst from him, but he seemed rather calm.

"Of course." Blake admitted casually.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Ash roared. Everyone took a step back as Ash glared at Blake. His glare was strong enough to make a Charizard back down against him. It was like he was another person. Then he rushed at Blake.

Fortunately, one person in the group had anticipated this.

"Ash, stop!" Misty shouted as she dived in between Blake and Ash, forcing the raven haired boy to come skidding to a stop to avoid hurting her. "I'm not finished yet…I was against it too. But Blake promised me that this would all work out in the end. And he told me something that came true."

"Strength is gained from struggle." Blake interrupted in a deadpan.

"And he was right. I thought it was a load of garbage, especially when I heard that you ran off back in January. But then you came back to school, and it was like you were a whole new person." Misty went on, recalling the day Gary had confronted Ash to show off the fact that he had won Misty. "You grew up."

Dawn raised an eyebrow at this. Misty was more in tune with Ash than she had previously thought. Maybe the orange haired junior wasn't so bad after all if she could understand Ash so well.

"In the end, I just continued to follow through with Blake's plan. He assured me that everything would work out in the end. And now I can see that he was right." Misty explained as she motioned to all of Ash's friends.

Ash glanced back at the people that had helped him out of the hole he had dug himself into earlier in the year. If it wasn't for them, he probably would've thrown away everything the Tsugi Academy had before him, and possibly his future in the professional circuit.

Then his gaze settled on Dawn. He admired the bluenette for a moment. Then he recalled how she had helped him. It wasn't for her, he might've been six feet under right now after his stupid actions in Pallet Town.

"Still Misty, don't do something that dangerous again." Ash said before turning away from her. "I guess that if it wasn't for you, I would've never realized just how great these people around me are. So…thanks."

Dawn took a step toward Misty, motioning for her to lean forward.

"That's Ash's way of forgiving you." She whispered into Misty's ear before stepping back. Misty's effort to gain Ash's forgiveness was something that not even Dawn could overlook despite her distrust of the orange haired girl. But if Ash was willing to forgive her, then maybe she could try to as well.

Misty smiled softly at this, looking at the back of Ash. If only he would return her smile.

**Tsugi Academy**

**Spruce's Office**

Jimmy stepped out of the office, looking at the sizeable group of students that were seated in the corridor outside. Spruce had seen the final few minutes of the battle against Gary, and he immediately sent out an alert to the guards to deliver these students to his office. Jimmy couldn't understand why, but Spruce was interrogating him with great intensity over the matter. But that didn't matter now, his time in the prison was up.

"Paul, you're up." Jimmy said, motioning to the open door where Spruce was waiting.

Paul rose from his seat with a sigh before making his way into the office while Jimmy stopped in front of the group. Once the door to his office closed, no one hesitated to bombard Jimmy with questions about how it went.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. Spruce agreed to allow the results of the battle to be entered into the system." Jimmy explained, getting a sigh of relief from Brock. "But for some reason he's really anxious to know the whereabouts of Suicune, Raikou and Entei."

"Don't worry about that. I'll explain what happened to them." Blake called out. "So just keep quiet about it when Spruce asks you guys."

"So what are you going to do with them Blake?" Ash asked.

"We'll talk about that once we're finished here." Blake replied as Dawn pulled Ash back down to his seat. She could understand his excitement about the Legendary Pokemon, but it was clear that Ash was struggling to contain it.

"Hey Jimmy, where are you going?" Marina called out to her boyfriend as he tried to leave the group.

"Uh, I'm pretty tired from all that battling so I was going to take a nap. Plus I want to take Typhlosion over to the Pokemon Center." He replied.

"Oh, great. Would you mind dropping off Croconaw with Nurse Joy too?" She asked, receiving a nod from Jimmy. She then tossed him the Poke-ball to Jimmy who caught it before giving her a wave goodbye.

* * *

><p>Jimmy exited the Pokemon Center quietly. He was a few minutes behind schedule now since he had to make the trip to the Pokemon Center, but he couldn't pass of this opportunity at a time like this.<p>

This could be his last and only chance to explore Blake's room.

Lightly jogging over to the freshman dorms, Jimmy waved to a group of students as they called out to him. Remaining silent though, he continued into the large building, entering the lobby where he quickly moved over the elevators. As he stepped into the elevator, Jimmy began to wonder just what he would find in Blake's room.

He had been in there on numerous occasions, but the only thing Jimmy was interested in was Blake's notebooks. He had seen his friend scribbling away in the books over the course of the entire year, but he had never managed to get a peek inside of any of them. Blake could be pretty damn secretive.

But now was his chance. He could see everything that Blake had written down. And maybe he would be able to understand what exactly Blake was planning since his arrival near the beginning of the school year.

Arriving at the desired floor, Jimmy exited the elevator and made his way to Blake's room where he came to a stop in front of the door that demanded a card key before it would open. Fortunately, Jimmy had learned a quick trick on his own that he could use to access almost any room he wanted.

All it required was that Typhlosion give the door handle a quick heating which would shut down the electronic lock, allowing him to enter. Although Jimmy always succeeded in burning his hand has he opened up any door he did this to. But by now he had grown used to it. Entering Blake's room, Jimmy was rather surprised with the sight he found. The word messy couldn't begin to describe it.

The bed was overturned and resting against the wall, it appeared as though he had flipped over his desk and knocked over his bookshelf. Loose paper was scattered all over the room as though he had thrown a fit and tossed everything in any direction.

"Sheesh, what happened in here?" Jimmy asked himself out loud as he went further into the room, deciding to begin his search at the top of the pile. The papers on the floor were covered with notes that Jimmy didn't hesitate to the read. What he found was that these notes matched events that had taken place earlier in the year. 'Hmm…'

"Have you found anything yet?"

Jimmy's blood turned cold at the sound of another voice in the room. There was no way it could be Blake. But what if it was? And what would he do if he found Jimmy snooping around his business.

Turning around slowly, Jimmy peeked out of the corner of his eye to spot a head of purple hair that belonged to none other than Paul. Jimmy let out a sigh of relief as he fell over.

"What's got you so tense?" Paul asked, looking down at Jimmy who only chuckle before rising up again.

"Don't worry about it." He replied before he gave Paul an odd look. "So what are you doing here?"

"I came to find out what's going on in Blake's head." Paul responded.

"What do you mean?"

"During that battle with Gary, everything was too perfectly executed for that to be a plan he came up with on the fly." Paul began. "I'll admit that-that fight had its ups and downs, but everything flowed to smoothly. We were facing two Legendary Pokemon with a team of rag-tag Pokemon. There is no way Blake would allow us to just wing it against Gary at such a crucial time. I have a feeling there's more to him that what meets the eye."

Jimmy remained silent. He had nothing to add that. While they had different reasons for being here, they wanted the same information.

Plus, this might result in them discovering the truth faster and avoid having to confront Blake.

The two of them continued their search, reading over dozens of pages over the span of several minutes before Jimmy reached a passage that allowed them to begin putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Hey Paul, check this out." Jimmy said as he passed over a sheet of paper to Paul with a grim expression. "Start at the middle of the page and then go over onto the back."

Paul accepted the sheet and began to ready from where Jimmy had pointed out.

_Fancy Friday_

_Alright, I found three freshman that are just perfect for this day to work out in my favor. _

_The girl's is named Madison. She's from the Mauville Battle Academy in Hoenn. Her battling intuition is pretty good and she's excellent from long range. Unfortunately her Marowak can't handle getting hit by super effective hits so this should be an easy opponent for Marina._

_The first boy I found is Marcus. He's also from the Mauville Battle Academy and he's pretty close to Madison so the two of them should have no problems sticking together. He specializes in medium to long range, although he's a complete pushover if he's forced into a corner. Jimmy should be able to handle guy with no trouble._

_The second boy is this guys named Geoffrey. He came from one of the Academies from Kanto, I could care less about which one he came from since he won't even be battling anyone. I hope Drew doesn't hurt him too badly. _

_Madison has issues with May after her orientation during the summer where May floored her in a contest battle. Madison didn't even have an opportunity to display any of her skills as a coordinator because of the tremendous gap in skill between herself and May. She will definitely go after May if she has the chance. _

_The detours have been set in place so the freshman will be in route for my room for 5 : 17._

_May should have arrived at 5 : 15 and her curiosity will get the better of her, resulting in her wasting a enough time for the freshman to pass by and spot her._

_The weapon is in place. The freshman will surely attack, and once they start I can head over to the sophomore dorms. From there if I say the freshman attacked David, that will bring everyone over to the freshman dorms._

_Then I can start my hunt for Mark. _

"Is this…real?" Paul asked, looking toward Jimmy who only shook his head.

"I have no idea." Jimmy replied. "But I think Blake planned out how May would be attacked by those freshmen, and he planted a weapon in his room for them to use."

"That explains how she got the stab wound." Paul noted. "And by the looks of it, he handpicked these freshman to be trainers that you, Drew and Marina could beat with ease in order to fulfill your revenge for May."

"This is crazy. How could he possibly know how each of them battles in order to make sure that each of us would counter accordingly?" Jimmy asked out loud. But he didn't expect and answer.

As Jimmy and Paul went through the rest of the papers, they soon found themselves looking at these events in chronological order. From Fancy Friday, to the Winder Dance, then Ash's break up with Misty to his accident in Pallet Town. It continued to Ash's return, straight to Spirit Week, to April 1st, to Ash's confession to Dawn. Then to the Battle Week in Sinnoh, to Brock's accident. All the way to their battle with Gary.

It was all written out beforehand.

"This can't be real." Jimmy exclaimed as he and Paul struggled to grasp what was laid out of the papers before them.

"To think he was able to understand everyone's personalities and habits so well that he was able to plan out what would happen in advance." Paul noted before looking up at the ceiling in a deadpan. "What is he?"

Blake had written out everything that would take place this year before any of it had taken place. It was becoming far too scary to even wonder if anything else had been written.

"This guy, someone like him is way too dangerous to be around." Paul concluded as he looked toward Jimmy. "Have you always been hanging around him Jimmy?"

"Yeah. But I've never seen him do anything like this." Jimmy replied. Paul only shook his head.

"All of this." Paul motioned to the stack of papers on the floor. "Our friends were nearly killed multiple times because of what was going through that psychotic mess Blake calls a brain!"

Jimmy was taken aback by Paul's outburst. Paul raised his voice seldom. Seldom to an extreme.

"I know I don't come across as a person who really values relationships, but I learned a lot over the past year. Friendship is something that can't be forsaken when raising Pokemon. And the same applies when interacting with people too." Paul stated. "My friends were put in danger because of him, and I can't sit back and let this continue."

Jimmy remained silent and Paul snatched up what papers he could from the ground before leaving the room. Jimmy couldn't be angry at Paul for this. This was indeed a scary sight. To know that Blake had foreseen just about everything, and yet he didn't do anything to try and cushion the discouraging events. Perhaps it was best if the others knew about this.

Taking once last look around the room, Jimmy noticed one more paper sticking out from underneath the book shelf. They had missed that one. Removing the sheet from where it had been stuck, Jimmy flipped it over to read the contents.

As his eyes traveled down the page, they became wide with shook. Jimmy then jammed the paper in his pocket before hastily leaving the room.

**June 14th**

**Tsugi Academy**

**Auditorium**

Graduation day for students from the Tsugi Academy was rather odd since their parents weren't allowed to attend. The students graduated without any fanfare, they simply received their awards, and were wished well as they continued to pursue their own goals in the professional world of Pokemon.

Unlike the previous graduation ceremonies, this one did become loud since a senior had managed to step into the Top 10 for the first time in quite a while. Not only that, but he had taken the top spot as well in a miracle effort during the last day of school.

"And now I'd like to ask Rank 1, Brock Slate to come forward." Spruce said into a microphone as looked down into the first row of the audience where Brock was seated.

The room was silent until Brock finally stepped onto the stage where a small group for teachers and Spruce were waiting to pass him the awards that came with holding the title of Rank 1 of the Tsugi Academy. As he placed his foot on the stage, it was as though the whole room was shaking when the shouts from the students. He couldn't understand why, but students from every grade level were praising him.

Brock only rubbed the back of his head with one hand while waving to the crowd with the other. The last thing he was expecting was praise from his peers considering no one had seen his battles to enter the Top 10. But he had no reason to complain.

Stopping in front of Spruce, Brock bowed once before Spruce placed a golden medal around his neck. It sparkled as Spruce took a step back from Brock, motioning for him to speak to the students.

Brock turned out to the crowd, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as one of the teachers came up to him to place a microphone in his hand. Brock took a deep breath, looking around at the mass of students, waiting for the words to flow.

But they never came.

There was an awkward silence of at least a minute as Brock looked around at the crowd. Eventually, his eyes settled on a group of people that made all of the tension Brock had been experiencing disappear. Holly was looking directly into his eyes, making a heart shape with her hands. Brock returned the gesture shamelessly, which gained some confusion from the crowd as everyone tried to figure out who he was aiming at.

Several shouts from behind Ash forced him to look back in the stands where he found a group of freshman girls squealing at Brock's gesture. Brock had gained a fan club, although this didn't seem to sit well with Holly who was seated beside Ash.

"He's mine!" Holly shouted at the freshman, rising from her seat to state her case. Ash seemed to get a kick out of this as he burst out in a fit of laughter. Not once in a million years would he have ever expected a girl to boldly state her claim on Brock Slate.

When the crowd settled down, Brock had calmed down as well.

"I know most of you don't know me since I kind of popped out of no where near the end of the year…" Brock began. "And I just want to thank all of you for making my final year here so interesting. It certainly wasn't easy at one point or another, but I feel like all of these hurdles are meant to stand in everyone's path to better them for the professional world of Pokemon."

Everyone was listening intently to Brock at this point. He was no public speaker, but the subject had picked had everyone nodding in agreement.

"Almost everyone that gets accepted into this Academy is expected to become something great. But every so often you get someone like. Someone who doesn't know what to do with themselves." Brock went on. "There was a point when I thought I wasn't good enough to be in this school, but my friends taught me that if I can be the best I can be, I can achieve great things. And I'm sure anyone here can do the same."

The students roared at Brock's declaration. Confidence was an issue in the Tsugi Academy and the screw up in the Ranks. With the appearance of such a powerful generation, the surrounding age groups became discouraged when they were unable to defeat them. But Brock was someone who had grown strong enough to conquer the Top 10. Perhaps this would inspire the rest of the students to seek strength since it has been proven that the Top 10 can be defeated.

Brock Slate would become something great in the future.

Ash looked up at his friend on stage as the students around him roared, struggling to suppress his urge to grin. He was itching to battle against Brock now. But for now, Brock stood as the king over the Tsugi Top 10, and Ash knew that Brock had been waiting for some time to rest for quite some time. He had more than earned it, and Ash wasn't going to interfere with that.

Ash glanced at Holly who was seated beside him. Especially since Brock had a girl to keep him busy.

Ash then looked to his right, finding that Dawn was beside him, although she had risen from her seat like many of the students in the auditorium, cheering for Brock's short speech.

It was then Ash realized that he wouldn't be seeing Brock again for a while. After all, he was graduating.

* * *

><p>"Can you guys believe that the year is really over as of today?" Ash asked as he, Brock, Paul, Jimmy and Drew exited the Tsugi Academy along with a wave of students that were rushing to their dorms to begin packing for their trip back home for the summer.<p>

"It's pretty hard to believe. There were points where I really though that the year wouldn't end." Drew said as he looked up in thought.

"I agree with Drew." Brock added.

"Not to mention a lot of crazy stuff happened too." Ash went on. "Even though this year was like a rollercoaster ride, I almost want to say this was the best year ever."

Ash joined Drew in looking up in thought, recalling everything that had taken place. It had been a year that had its ups and its downs, it was riddled with discoveries that were little or great, but either way Ash Ketchum had learned many things.

"Hey Ash, quit daydreaming." Drew said, snapping Ash out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Ash said, looking around. He then realized that they were not standing outside the junior dorms. "What's going on?"

"We were going to Paul's room remember. He said he had something to show us." Brock replied.

"Weren't you listening?" Paul asked, receiving a dull stare from Ash which answered his question. "Come on, let's just get to my room."

**Paul's Room**

"So what is it that you wanted to show us Paul?" Brock asked as Jimmy shut the door to Paul's room once everyone was inside. Paul allowed a moment of silence to pass by as he took a seat on his bed. As the silence passed by, Paul looked at each individual in the room before sighing.

"What do you all think of Blake?" Paul asked, raising a question that he himself was still trying to answer.

"Blake…" Ash mumbled as everyone took a moment to think. The silence set in for a minute or two before an answer was finally made by Brock.

"He's definitely unpredictable." Brock began. "But he's very organized when you think about."

"More than just that, he's crazy." Drew stated, looking toward Brock.

"But he's really good at Pokemon battles, and he's a great trainer considering he helped us become so strong in just a month." Ash pointed. Brock and Drew acknowledged this with a nod.

"And he knows a lot about Pokemon. Even more than I do." Brock added.

"Why are we doing this anyway Paul?" Drew asked. The year was over and he was ready to relax.

"Because, Jimmy and I found some disturbing information." Paul said as he rose up from his bed, moving over to his desk where he opened the top draw on the body, pulling out a large stack of papers.

"If that's an essay Paul, there's no way I'm going to read it." Drew quickly protested, but Paul shot him a glare that shut him up. Paul's stare was far from the usual dull stare he would give everyone. His eyes were darting from one person to the next, and his hands were shaking even though he was holding onto the papers. Paul was…nervous.

Drew decided to take back any snappy comebacks he could come up with. If something was bothering Paul, he was sure that it had to be taken seriously.

"Can the three of you promise to be rational if we show this to you?" Paul asked, resulting in Ash, Drew and Brock raising their eyebrows. Ash then glanced over his shoulder at Jimmy who stood behind them, leaning against the wall with his hat turned forward. He was using the brim of his hat to cover his eyes as he looked down at the floor.

"What's going on?" Ash asked as the atmosphere in the room became tense.

"The three of you have to promise to be rational if we show you this." Paul repeated. "I need your word."

The three guys that were under question remained quiet for a few moments as they thought about what could be bothering Paul to such an extent.

"Alright Paul, you've got my word." Ash said, giving Paul a nod. Brock and Drew did the same afterward. Paul gave the three of them one final look before he tossed the stack onto the ground in front of them, allowing the pages to spread out somewhat before their feet.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, my, goodness. Gary has finally been defeated after nearly twenty chapters of fighting. But just as soon as they finish dealing with Gary, a new problem arises. One that could blow everything out of proportion.<strong>

**Any ideas as to what's going to happen next now that Blake's grand secret is out. What did you think of it? **

**Just so all of you know, this is the second to last chapter of this story, so just a warning to you know. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	33. The Dealer

Part 33

**Tsugi Academy**

**Basement**

Blake smirked as he looked into a small room through the one way window. He could see the occupant, and they couldn't see him.

Gary rested in the left corner of the room, his wrists and ankles cuffed together. When Spruce received the full report about the battle against Gary, the junior that was in possession of three Legendary Pokemon was detained and thrown into this detention room to hold him until the authorities arrived at the Tsugi Academy to take him.

Since Blake had bugged Spruce's office, he was aware of the call Spruce had made the Johto League, informing them that he had found the three Legendary Pokemon that had disappeared roughly a year ago. By this time tomorrow someone from the Johto Elite Four would be arriving at the Tsugi Academy to collect the Legendary Pokemon that had been confiscated by Spruce and Gary to place him in prison.

But by then, Blake would be gone.

"It's my win Gary." Blake said quietly as he shoved his hands in his pocket. "And now, all I have to do is collect what I came here for."

Blake turned away from the window, beginning to head toward the staircase that would take him up to the exit. He couldn't help but chuckle. It was almost time for the curtains to close.

* * *

><p>Ash rested on his bottom, his back against the wall of Paul's room. His vision was unfocused as he tried to grasp the situation at hand.<p>

Paul then looked toward Drew who was leaning against a wall like Jimmy, although he was hunched over, struggling to take in the information he had just read.

Brock drew in a sharp breath before crumpling up the paper he was holding.

"This is…impossible." Ash finally spoke, breaking the silence that had been present for the half an hour they had spent reading through the pages. Ash's vision became focused again.

"This is…unreal." Brock added as he straightened up, looking around at the others. Drew then pounded the wall with one of his fists before he rose up from the ground, giving everyone a dark glare.

"This, bastard." Drew hissed. "He planned everything bad that happened to us!"

Drew was seething now. He had gone as far as to attack the people who had harmed May earlier in the year, but now he found out that there was someone who was manipulating the attackers only rekindled the anger from long ago. Unfortunately, there was no one in the room that could think rationally at this point.

"Blake is clearly out of his mind!" Drew roared. "If I had known he was this insane, I would have never became friends with him! Something like this is unforgivable!"

"For once, I agree with Drew." Paul stated before he looked toward Jimmy. "Did you know Blake was like this Jimmy?"

Jimmy perked up at this, looking up toward Paul. He shrugged, as if he didn't know the answer.

"Back when we were in Goldenrod City, he certainly wasn't a normal guy. Great battler, that was for sure. But Blake was never, right in the head." Jimmy began. "It never really bothered me, but I guess I was never aware of how much he was really doing whenever he wasn't with me."

"He was doing a helluva a lot of stuff while you weren't looking." Drew said sharply.

"Drew, calm down." Brock said, placing a hand on Drew's shoulder which resulted in the green haired teen pulling away from him.

"Don't even try the peacekeeper routine Brock. He knew you were going to get hit by a car in Sinnoh and he didn't say anything about it!" Drew hissed at Brock which instantly silenced the senior. "He knew that Gary was not only the driver of that car, but he knew that Gary was trying to kill you during our battle with him too! He knew that Ash would try to kill himself in Pallet Town but he sent him there anyway, and he knew that Conway was aiming to take Dawn from Ash. Hell, he that everything behind the whole Misty fiasco from day one! And worst of all, he planned for May to be hurt!"

Drew took in several deep breathes, unable to calm down. His anger had crossed the boiling point.

"Someone like this…" Ash began, gaining everyone's attention after he broke the silence. "Shouldn't be allowed to live."

Jimmy's gaze shifted to Ash, giving him a sharp stare.

"What?" Brock exclaimed. Hearing a line like that from Ash of all people was surely a reason for concern.

"He's too dangerous. Not just to people around him, but to himself." Ash continued as he rose up from the floor, standing in front of the open window where the setting sun behind him left him a nothing more than a dark silhouette to the rest of the people in the room. "I've had enough of this guy messing with my friends."

**Junior Dorms**

**Basement**

Blake let out a soft chuckle as he stood in an open space in the basement, finding that it was surprisingly chilly down here even though summer was approaching. Although it was easy for him to conclude that the four people surrounding him were contributing to the odd atmosphere in the room.

They all held shinning metal baseball bats, and wore glares that Blake was willing to applaud for. But he couldn't right now. All of their animosity was directed toward them.

Jimmy wasn't within his field of vision, but Blake was sure that he was somewhere in the basement.

None of them had spoken since he had arrived, although Blake expected as much. They wanted to kill him, but it seemed as though they were still contemplating the idea.

"So my secret is out, huh?" Blake asked the group, looking around at each of them. But none of them responded for a period of time, then Drew banged the floor with his bat.

"Yeah, it is." He replied. "And we'd all like to know what the hell you are."

This gained a laugh from Blake. A short one. Then his expression hardened.

"There's quite a few words to describe someone like me." Blake began, giving them a smile they had not seen for some time. The twisted smirk he wore earlier in the year. "Control freak, a manipulative bastard, mastermind. Do me a favor and pick one!"

Drew snapped. Blake's casual speech alone with his smile had driven him over the edge.

"Raah!" Drew jumped at Blake, swinging his bat toward Blake's neck, but Blake had foreseen his attack. Although this didn't stop him from grimacing from the pain of feeling a metal object slamming against his forearm which he had used to block Drew's attack. Drew wasn't finished though. With his remaining hand, he socked Blake in the stomach, forcing him to hunch over as he backed away from Drew.

Drew then took this as opportunity to kick Blake, succeeding in knocking him to the ground. Blake grunted as he hit the floor, expecting Drew to continue his assault, but nothing happened.

Blake opened his eyes, expecting to see Drew looming over him but instead it was Ash. The raven haired boy grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, hoisting him up into the air where Ash made sure that they were face to face. He was silent for a moment. They he drew in a breath of air.

"You psycho." Ash stated before he threw Blake to the floor again. After hitting the floor, Blake looked up at Ash and felt a chill run down his spine.

He really had to give Ash credit for having what had to be the more dangerous glare he had ever seen. The shadow cast by his bangs left only his eyes visible in the darkness, surrounding Ash in a threatening aura.

"How can you sleep at night knowing that you are responsible for all of the crap that went down around us?" Ash asked as he pointed his bat at Blake, causing the freshman's expression to crack into another smile.

"It's pretty easy actually." Blake replied, successfully angering Ash as well. Ash lashed out at Blake his right foot, landing a hard kick to the side of Blake's head which sent him sliding away on his side. Ash remained where he was standing as Blake came to a stop with a groan. That kick had really hurt.

Ignoring the pain, Blake propped himself up on one elbow before he noticed a pair of feet in front of him. Looking up, he found Paul looking down at him. This caused Blake to smirk.

"How could you so something like this to us?" Paul asked. "I thought we could trust you. You went as far as to help us get stronger so that we could beat Gary and save the senior class, but in the end you were just toying with us!"

Blake was impressed. When he had first met Paul, he found a boy who was selfishly pursuing his own goals with only his brother in mind. Now Paul's only concern was for his friends. And it was clear that Paul was only concerned about them since Blake had never aimed to make him suffer. Not once.

"So what if I was. Is it wrong for me to have a little fun?" Blake asked as he sat up. Paul began to grind his teeth together, then he swung his bat at Blake, hitting him across the face. It looked as though Blake didn't even see what had hit him as he fell backward.

"I'll never understand how any of us came to trust you." Paul spat at him, raising his bat once again. But a hand on his wrist prevented him from dropping the bat down on Blake's body for a second blow. Paul's turned around to find Brock behind him. Paul gave Brock a small nod before stepping away, allowing Brock to step toward Blake was holding his jaw from the hit he had taken.

"Why?" Brock asked as Blake sat up.

"Why what?" Blake asked in return.

"Why would you do such horrible things to everyone in this school? You were the one who caused all of these problems during the Winter Dance, during School Spirit Week. You were responsible for it all." Brock began.

"What's it to ya?" Blake asked as he rose to his feet, looking up at Brock who was doing his best to remain calm.

"Do you have any idea how many students were injured because of you?" Brock asked.

"Four hundred and twenty seven were injured. One was killed." Blake stated in a casual manner. This seemed to strike several nerves among the people that were present.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Ash roared as he dashed at Blake, ready to attack. Fortunately for Blake, Brock stepped into Ash's path, holding him back.

"Ash! Back off!" Brock barked at him as Paul pulled him back. Ash became silent after this, moving back as Brock returned his gaze to Blake. "You caused so much suffering, you created so much hatred. How can you act so casual about it?"

"It beats getting run over by a car."

Brock looked down, taking a moment to let this information settle in. So Blake really did know. Brock's head snapped upward as he raised his fist to attack, but Ash had beat it to him. A fierce roundhouse to Blake's face had sent him stumbling backward, but Blake remained strong to stop himself from falling over.

"So you knew Brock was going to get hit by a car." Ash exclaimed as he began walking toward Blake.

"I knew a lot more than that. I knew everything that was going on around here." Blake said as he looked up at the ceiling, outstretching both his arms while doing his best to ignoring the throbbing pain from his head and jaw. "It became too easy to make all of you move according to my plans once I was able to understand each of you. And now that I'm finished with you, I can show you this!"

Everyone stopped their advance on Blake as he pulled a small book out of his back pocket that had been rolled up. He then tossed it to Brock who caught it, looking down at it with a confused expression. Brock then flipped it over to read the title on the front.

"'Their Dilemma?'" Brock said, reading the title out loud. "What is it?"

"A book." Blake stated. "About you guys, illustrating how all of your dark qualities were brought out and manipulated by me to get a few things done around here."

Brock hurled the book to the floor and stepped on it with one foot, taking a few moments to grind it against the floor.

"I've heard enough of this!" Ash shouted.

"I was wondering when you'd snap, killer." Blake stated with a crooked smile. Ash roared as he pounded the ground with his bat before rushing at Blake, followed closely by Drew, Paul and Brock.

Blake didn't even try to defend himself as they hammered away at him with their bats. Kicked him mercilessly until he was beaten to a pulp. But they didn't stop. Blake had been laughing out loud as they beat him, until Ash finally dropped his bat onto Blake's skull. After the first hit Blake became silent. After three more hits his body became completely still.

It was a bloody mess that rested on the floor in front of the four guys as they drew in several deep breaths to steady their breathing. Their hearts were pounding throughout the one-sided fight. Sweat was pouring down their faces as they looked as the body in front of them.

Ash, Drew and Brock stared at the scene in disgust, struggling to believe what they had just done. Drew's knees buckled, resulting in him falling to his hands and knees. He felt sick to his stomach. Brock and Ash quickly looked away, throwing their bats to the side. The three of them couldn't stand to be in this room anymore.

They left in a hurry, rushing up the staircase, leaving Paul behind.

Paul dropped his bat, the clang of the metal sounding throughout the room. Paul then turned away from the body that rested on its stomach. He then looked around for a few moments before spotting the book that Blake had pulled out. Collecting the object from the floor, Paul then proceeded to leave.

An eerie silence fell over the room as the two remaining people remained silence. Blake for obvious reasons. Jimmy because he was still accepting the fact that his friend had been killed.

Hidden behind a stack of crates was Jimmy, holding onto one sheet of paper with trembling hands. Tears were flowing down his cheeks as he read the paper one last time.

_This will probably be my last entry to this catalog._

_I can tell that Paul is becoming suspicious since he's so independent, I'm sure he'll venture into my room at some point and discover the truth._

_It will probably be on the same day we beat Gary, so that means by the next day all of the guys will know. And I was just starting to enjoy it here too. But I guess life sucks that way sometimes. _

_I'm really proud of Paul to be honest. He was pretty self centered when I first met him, focused only on his own goals. But now it looks like he's finally starting to get along with the guys more. And once he finds out what's really going on, he'll definitely tell the other guys. It's proof that he's finally started caring for them._

_And then once all of them know, all hell is going to break loose. They'll kill me. I know its coming. I mean, how would anyone react if they found out that someone was running their life and making it as crappy as possible. _

_Studying human tendencies all these years has really paid off. Creating this script would've been impossible otherwise. Especially with so many unique guys to work with. _

_Ash Ketchum. The guy who requires support from his friends in order to show his true strength._

_Brock Slate. The guy who lacks confidence himself, so he holds himself back._

_Dawn Berlitz. The girl who cares for others more than herself._

_If only I could stay around for a little but longer. Or just laugh with them one more time. That would be enough. But like I said, life sucks that way._

_It was nice seeing Jimmy again. We had a lot of time to catch up and fight together again. Although Jimmy has gone soft since he came to the Tsugi Academy. But I guess he chose to grow up and get serious about Pokemon unlike me. Plus he's got a girlfriend to think about. I'm happy for him._

_I don't regret anything I've done. It may have seemed wrong in the eyes of many, but I know what I was doing was right. Hopefully some day they will realize it to._

Jimmy crumpled up the paper and shoved it in his pocket. Blake knew he was going to die. And Jimmy didn't do anything to stop this. He couldn't.

He had gotten so close to Blake, and yet he couldn't convince himself to stop them. Ash was right, Blake was way too dangerous to be allowed to live. Someone like him could send the world up in smoke if he grew up to be an influential person.

'This for the safety of everyone I love.' Jimmy continued to repeat to himself as he walked the gory scene, exiting the basement like the rest of the guys.

**Tsugi Campus**

"I'm officially a senior!" May exclaimed happily as Dawn gave her a hug.

"Trust me, its going to be the best year you'll have here." Holly said. "It can get pretty hectic coming down to the end, but you'll enjoy it a lot more than your junior year."

"I hope so. There's no way I could do that again." May said in an exasperated tone before she looked toward Dawn. "So good luck Dawn."

The blunette gave May a playful shove. Dawn was now a junior, and was in for the most rigorous year at the Tsugi Academy.

"So Holly, do you have any idea what college you're going-" May asked before she gave a yelp of surprise when two arms suddenly closed up around her torso. "Drew!"

Dawn and Holly then found themselves being crushed in a hug by their respective boyfriend who were keeping their faces hidden. But the guys were unable to contain their sadness. They began to cry as they held their girlfriends.

"What's wrong Ash?" Dawn asked as Ash placed one hand on the back of her head, pulling her in further.

When you find someone you love, someone to support you. Hold onto them. Tightly.

Ash refused to let go of Dawn as she continued to question him, but to no avail.

**Off Campus**

It had been about an hour since Paul had left the basement, and now he was in solitude, with a small fire going in front of him.

He had taken the time to gather every piece of writing Blake had done from his room before taking it off campus. He was going to burn all of it. The world didn't need to know what went though his mind. Nor did it need too know what they had just done to Blake.

Throwing in several sheets of paper every couple of minutes, Paul continued to reflect on what he had done since Blake's appearance.

He had actually trained and battled with other people. This was something he had never done before. Not until Blake showed up. He had never laughed out loud with the guys until this year. He had never showed any kind of concern for their personal matters until this year.

And he was happy that he had done all of these things this year. All the stress from Reggie's death had decreased significantly from the moment Paul started to become friendlier with the people who actually cared about him. It made the entire year worthwhile.

Dropping in other set of papers, Paul the decided to take a peek into the book Blake had written. He had talked about it on several occasions, so it had to be something worth checking out.

The title page was plain and simply, and the back of the book was blank. It was thick, probably three hundred pages give or take. Opening to the first page, Paul found that it was blank. So he turned to the next page. This one was blank too. He then skipped ahead several pages and found that this one was also blank.

Paul raised an eyebrow as he flipped through the entire book. None of the pages had any print. There wasn't a single word written inside. It was just three hundred blank pages. Not a word was written beyond the cover. There was no synopsis of the story. It was empty.

"Wait a second…If he never wrote the book, then why did he do all of this?" Paul asked himself as he threw the paper into the flames, watching as the book was swallowed up by the fire.

**Junior Dorms**

**Basement**

The body resting on the floor in a small clearing began to glow, turning into a bright white light. This continued for a period of time, but when the light died down, a pink blob remained on the floor. This blob then began to move, receding to its normal size as it revealed that it had been covering another body that matched the features of Blake's perfectly.

The small pink creature proved to be incredibly small in size and statue, but its body that should've been pink alone was covered with several dark purple bruises. The body it had been shielding then groaned before rising up, looking back at the small Pokemon that had been covering him.

"You have no idea how sorry I am about this Ditto." He said as he scooped up the small Pokemon, bringing it close to his body.

"Ditto." It replied weakly.

"I promise nothing like this will happen to you again." He continued, placing a soft kiss on the Pokemon before placing it on his shoulder. He then pulled out his Pokegear from the belt around his waist, entering ten digits to make a call.

The phone rung for nearly two minutes before the person at the other end of the line picked up.

"This is Agent Joker reporting in." He said as he gave his Ditto a small massage with his knuckles, trying to help the invertebrate relax a bit.

"Joker? I thought you were dead." An old voice exclaimed on the other end.

"Dead, how could you come to that conclusion?"

"Well you didn't send us a single report in nearly a year. We assumed that the worst happened to you."

"Well you'd be surprised what a bunch of high schoolers would do."

"So...was your mission successful?"

"What else would you expect?" He asked, looking down at the three Poke-balls he had strapped to the belt around his waist. All three of them we black, with either a red, blue or yellow star on it. "Suicune, Raikou and Entei have been liberated."

"I still can't believe it was nothing more than a teenager that managed to steal these Pokemon from Silph's Co." The older voice muttered. "Hopefully this will buy us some more time to figure out what's going on with the League."

"I hope so too."

"Care to explain why you didn't contact us for almost year?"

"Well I couldn't give any in-progress reports. This mission required my attention one hundred percent of the time. Besides, when I did contact you guys I came with some big news didn't I?"

"Well there's that. Anyway, I take it you'll be returning to base?"

"Yup. Send a pick up for me. I'll be at the south beaches of the Tsugi Island."

"Alright, I'll give the order."

"And I'll see you back at the base."

"It's good to have you back Joker."

* * *

><p><strong>And the curtains drop on this story. It's over and done. That was it. Were you expecting this?<strong>

**So, any thoughts, concerns, conclusions, please tell me! **

****Who is Blake? I'll leave that up to you guys to decide. And just in reply to a review I got, between the two Blake's I have in my two fics, there's no connection whatsoever. The Blake I used in this fic was the original design for him, the one in my other Pokemon fic is the modified version.****

**As for me, I suppose now it would be appropriate to go on a rant about something. Strangely enough, I've got nothing to say this time. Go figure.**

**Fortunately, I have a second rant prepared. **

**Sequel. That magic word. There will be one. Although I will be taking a break for sometime to straighten out all the details for it. It could be anywhere between two to five months. That might be a bit of exaggeration, but I will be taking a break. The most I can say about this fic is that it now surrounds the actual Pokemon world with Ash's time in the professional circuit. Stuff like the college and professional circuit I had been mentioning throughout the story but I never explained it purely for the sequel. So that's about it. I feel like I've become a better writer throughout the year I spent working on this fic, and I'm really happy that I can finally label it as completed. :D  
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**So, I'd like to thank all of you for reading this fic. All of your reviews are accepted with gratitude, and I'm extremely happy that this story got such a good following. Thank you all very much! **


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